Screaming Underwater
by goldenquilled
Summary: Everyone knows that Ben drowned. However, nobody knows exactly who or what caused him to drown, or even who he really was when he was alive. The truth has been well-guarded by Ben for years now, but, unfortunately for him, secrets were not meant to be kept forever.
1. Storm

Chapter 1: Storm

~ I HATE YOU! I really, really hate you! How could you just leave when we needed you? You say you're courageous, but you're really just a BIG FAT COWARD! All you've ever done is run away. Do you think running from one place to the next will let you live a normal life? I don't recall that ever working in your favor in the past. You're never there when people need you because you are so absorbed in your own self-pity. And we _really_ need you. My Dad really needed you. But instead of trying to help you decided you were bored with us and decided to try out a different part of the country. And now I'm here all alone, straight out of the hospital, with half of my so-called family gone and my father is a wreck. A FUCKING WRECK! That's right, little miss innocent is so mad she's cussing – with words YOU taught me, you scum – and it's all your fault! And the worst part is that I thought you actually _cared _about me – about us. I thought you were my best friend. Hell, I thought you were my BROTHER! But no, you just didn't care. You never cared. And quite frankly, I don't care about _you _that much either! And if I had known that you were EVIL when we first met, I would have begged for you to be sent back and found another kid who can _actually _feel affection. I don't even know WHY I'm bothering to write this letter to an emotionless robot like you. Maybe I'm hoping that you'll finally understand how disgusting you are and just… leave everyone alone. Yeah, I think that would make my entire life so much better. You know, I really don't have the time or energy to keep writing anymore. I hope that if you ever have any memory of me, it will be this letter. Let's pray we never meet again. ~

X

The rain pounded against the weak roof, trying desperately to get inside the run-down home. The wind helped the rain in the battle with its powerful gales and dull growls. This resulted in small puddles being formed on the dirtied carpet and unsettling creaks coming from the walls. This was all topped off with intense thunder that seemed to grow louder with every strike. It was a night designed specifically for people to stay indoors and wait for the storm to end.

A young boy sat in an oversized armchair by the window of the home, peering outside to watch downpour ravage a small tree in the front yard. The wind shook it violently in every direction as the water hammered into its bark and leaves. The chaotic dance mesmerized the boy into staring at it, though it also unnerved him quite a bit. If a tree couldn't withstand the forces of nature, what hope was there for a toddler like himself? Then again, he was pretty helpless against most dangers he encountered. He learned that, among many other things, at an unfortunately early age.

While the boy sat in silence, his mother worked tirelessly to clean up the puddles caused by the leaky roof, as she had been since the storm started. Trying her best to do this on top of her daily chores and taking care of her young son caused her to become even more tired than usual. Her mascara had run down her pale face and her once golden-blonde hair was now disheveled and greasy. Through her work, she kept a close eye on her only son, who thankfully stayed both out of the way and out of trouble. It was not unusual for him to act rambunctious from time to time, most likely a trait he picked up, either from genetics or observation, by his father. His father, who should have arrived home over an hour ago.

It was then when the headlights of the father and husbands car could be seen through the thick rain. "Dad's here." the boy said to his mother solemnly. She nodded. Though they were both glad he could make it home safely, they also knew that he would not be happy about the storm. The headlights turned off, and a moment later the door opened. The man looked even more disheveled than usual, with his clothes and hair hurled around by powerful gusts and dripping with rainwater. His torn jeans were also caked in mud, though he didn't seem to mind as he stomped into the living room with a trail of the muck closely following him. His wife would need to clean that up before it became a nuisance it him.

The unkempt man strode over to his armchair. "Get out." He said to the child who had taken unauthorized occupancy in the seat. The child decided that he should be polite to his father. His mother had told him a while ago that his father was going through some things right now, and that he should be on his best behavior from now on. She would not tell him exactly what his father was going through, so he decided to simply be polite in general. That seemed like a good move at the time, since his father did not seem very happy at the moment.

"Hello, Dad" said the boy in his tiny voice. He even decided to gift his father with one of his rare smiles. His father did not seem to appreciate the effort.

"I said, _get out"_ he growled, now towering over the boy. The boy's eyes widened and he scurried away and towards his mother, who had been cleaning in the kitchen (which was really the same room as the living room). She had witnessed the short exchange, and decided to respond to it with a small, hidden sigh. The boy hid behind his mother, who had grabbed an old rag and was about to clean up the mud that was just tracked in. However, when she looked down at her son, she stopped what she was doing. Although the child would never admit to it, he was a little scared of his father, especially when he ordered him around. She must have seen his fear, because she walked up to her husband.

"You should be nice to Ben" she suggested, though the tone of her voice indicated that it was more like an order. It was a voice the boy was not used to hearing her use. Her husband seemed surprised for a split second, but then returned to his default irritated expression.

"I was being nice" he said matter-of-factly, trying to brush her off and go back to doing nothing.

"No, you weren't. Being nice involves using words like _please _and _thank you, _not ordering people around." Her voice raised in volume. The boy, Ben, had lost the human shield that was his mother and compromised with backing into the corner. His parents were fighting, or at least were going to. Usually it was just his father doing the yelling, but if they were both angry at each other, Ben knew he would not want to stick around.

"He's my son. I'm not going to treat him like he's writing my goddamn paycheck."

"I'm just asking you to treat him like a human being!"

"I'll treat him _and_ you however the _fuck_ I want!" The father jolted up from the chair.

That was when Ben decided to make his escape. With his parents too preoccupied with each other and their rage to notice, he darted off down the hallway and into his bedroom. He quietly closed the door, making sure his absence would go unnoticed. He waited be the door for one, two, three long moments, listening for sounds of footsteps following him. He heard nothing but the muffled shouts resonating from the living room. Ben let out a breath. He was safe. For now.

His father was always the one who yelled, and he and his mother always stayed quiet. That was how things had worked for as long as he could remember. But tonight, that system was broken. Now both his parents yelled, and he was alone. Even though his mother was technically defending him, he felt he had lost the only person he could share the quiet with.

Was he supposed to start shouting as well? That didn't seem like a good idea. He had tried that once, a long time ago, and he wound up hurting himself. He didn't want to be hurt again. Then again, his mother hurt herself while still staying quiet, so maybe the trick to staying safe was something else entirely.

A bright light suddenly burst into his room, and a sudden booming sound made the young boy jump. He scrambled to the covers of his bed and buried himself underneath the thin sheets. Now that he was alone in his dark bedroom, the storm seemed much more menacing to the small child. He wished he could be back in his mothers company, even if just in the same room as her, but the continuous shouting of both her and his father was enough to keep him in his bed until morning. Ben closed his eyes, hoping that he would be able to fall asleep.

That was when the screaming started.

His mother had hurt herself, just as he had done once before. Ben clenched his eyes tighter, as if hoping it would convince sleep to arrive faster. It didn't work. It never worked.

Outside, raindrops punched the innocent little house near its breaking point as the thunder roared at it in anger.

Both storms continued on.

X

Ben didn't think he would be able to fall asleep, but apparently he did, because someone had to gently shake him by the shoulder to wake him up. He could still hear the rain, but the thunder and wind had died down a bit. The shouting and screaming had also stopped, which was relieving.

The child poked his head out from under his blanket-cocoon and saw the silhouette of his mother looking down on him. It was still night time, so the room was pitch black except for the cloud-covered moonlight that entered through the dirty window. Ben was not used to being awake at this hour.

"Sweetie, it's time to wake up." she said softly. Her voice was still a bit hoarse from earlier. She carefully took the blankets off of her son and placed them to the side. "Come on, honey, let's go." She left the room quietly, and Ben pushed himself out of bed and followed behind her.

He followed her into the living room, which was now in disarray. Objects that once occupied tables and shelves were now scattered across the floor. The armchair that he had sat in hours ago was now on its side, and the small table that sat close to it now only had three legs to balance on. The final leg was lying on the sofa on the other side of the room. The mud on the floor still needed to be wiped up. His father was not present.

His mother grabbed her coat from an upturned coat holder and put it on. The coat hung loosely from her thin frame; it would not fit her anymore, but still kept her warm. She held out her son's coat, indicating that he should put it on. He took it from her hands but would not wear it.

"Where are we going?" he asked. This was starting to get strange. His mom had never done anything like this before, waking him up at night and taking him places on a whim. His mother didn't answer him right away; she instead stared off into the distance, her mind far away from their run-down home. Finally, she answered, though her voice seemed distant:

"Somewhere where we can't be hurt anymore."

Ben did not have a good feeling about this. He had never seen his mother act this way before. She was usually a very down-to-earth and loving person, but now she seemed like a completely different human being. It was as if she was being guided along by another person in her head. This was something Ben would not tolerate. His mother was probably the only person he cared for, and she was the only one who cared for him. He couldn't lose her. He just couldn't.

His mother was already opening the front door when she noticed that Ben had not put on his coat yet. She let out a sigh. "Let's go, Ben" she said tiredly. Ben did not move.

"No" was all he said in return. His mother just gave a larger, heavier sigh and walked over to him. She took the jacket out of his small hands and began to put it on her son. He immediately resisted, but his mother held him firmly. "No!" he yelled, his voice much, much louder than he anticipated. Both of them stood still for several moments. The room turned dead quiet. All they could hear was the pattering of raindrops dripping through the roof.

"Be quiet, you'll wake your father." she whispered. Ben no longer struggled as his mother buttoned up his small jacket. However, when she walked back to the door, he once again stood his ground. His mother, who had seemingly more important things to do than deal with her son, simply picked him up and carried him out into the rain and into the beat-up old car parked outside.

They drove for a very long time. Exactly how long they drove Ben could not be certain, since the digital clock in the car didn't work. The cars heater was also broken, making the drive very cold for the two of them. Eventually Ben tried to fall back asleep, but by that time the thunder had picked up again, and would jar him awake every time he started to nod off. All of that, combined by the eternal storm outside and the car's mysterious rattling, made the journey downright unpleasant.

When they finally reached their mysterious destination, they were no longer in the rural area Ben was raised in, but in a small town. Ben's mother parked the car in a cozy location, nestled between a tree and a bush. The rear of the car was poking out from the foliage, and could probably be spotted if someone was looking for it.

Ben's mother turned to him and looked him right in the eyes. The moon had temporarily poked out from behind the clouds, illuminating her face. Now that she was finally in the light, Ben could see that her face was covered in fresh bruises. Something about them made her seem a bit more delicate than usual, though that may have been due to the odd look she was giving him. She leaned in closer to her son.

"I'm going to leave now. I need you to stay in the car. Can you do that for me?" Ben nodded, not fully understanding what was going on. "Thank you." She said, and then continued, "Don't open the door for anyone but me or the police, ok?" Again Ben nodded. This whole night was starting to seem a bit surreal, like an unusually lucid dream. Thunder struck, but neither of them seemed to notice or care.

Ben's mother looked deep into his eyes for a bit longer, before suddenly wrapping him into a big, tender hug. Ben could hear his mother's heart racing. "I love you." she said softly into his ear. Ben hugged her back, welcoming the warmth radiating from her slender body.

"I love you too, Mom."

His mother looked at him one last time, and then opened the door and stepped out into the rain. Ben watched her leave, never taking his eyes off her until her outline disappeared behind the rain. Even then, he gazed closely at the spot he had last seen her for several moments. He missed her already.

So he followed her.

Ben may have been only a toddler, but he was exceptionally smart for one his age. He knew that his mother's actions weren't normal. She wouldn't drive him away from their home in the dead of night just to leave him in the car unless there was something bizarre going on. That, combined with the unusually intimate goodbye they had just shared, made him come to the conclusion that something awful was about to happen.

He ran off in the general direction the silhouette of his mother disappeared into, which led him through a thick growth of trees and brambles. The heavy rain turned the dirt on the ground into a slick mud. Ben's foot suddenly met with a jutting tree root, causing him to trip and fall hard to the ground. He pulled himself to his knees and held the side of his face gingerly; it had been cut be a low hanging branch as he fell. It stung him a bit, and it didn't help when the mud on his hands started to seep into the open wound. Despite that, he carefully picked himself up and continued after his mother.

It didn't take him long to exit the thin foliage, and he found himself next to an expansive lake that he vaguely remembered his mother driving over when coming there. He looked around, but couldn't see anything resembling his mother in the darkness. Ben had lost her. He suddenly realized how cold he was, and how he was now soaked to the bone. The wind whipped his blonde hair at his face, irritating the fresh cut that suddenly hurt a lot more than before. He was covered in mud and water, and he felt so cold. So alone.

Then, lightning struck, and Ben jumped. The loud booming echoed across the lake, making the area feel incredibly empty. Another flash of light closely followed it, but this time Ben was ready for it, and didn't jump.

It was then, during that brief moment of light that illuminated the sky and the tree and the water, that Ben saw it. On the bridge that connected the road from one side of the lake to the other, was a figure. A small, slender figure that walked along the length on the bridge away from Ben. He had a destination again.

Ben turned right and ran toward the road where the bridge began. Now that he was in the clearing by the lake, he travelled much faster. Soon he arrived at the road and ran on the bridge and towards his mother, who had stopped walking.

As he got closer, however, he noticed something very wrong. There was a railing that protected him and passing vehicles from falling off the sides of the bridge. His mother, for whatever reason, was standing on the wrong side of the railing, her feet edging off the sides of the bridge. Ben, struggling to understand the situation, ran as fast as he could towards his mother, not bothering to pace himself to avoid tripping.

But she jumped before he could make it to her.

All Ben heard was a short, small scream before it was suddenly lost to the sound of rain and wind and water and thunder that filled the area. Ben ran up to where his mother stood only half a moment ago and looked down into the harsh water, but all he saw was darkness and the rain hitting the lake.

"Mom!" he screamed, but received no answer. He screamed again, and again, but every time he was only answered by the sounds of the storm screaming back at him. The moon poked out from between the blackened clouds as if to watch the spectacle. Eventually Ben's shouts were reduced to sobs, tears disguised as rainwater flowing down his dirty, despair-contorted face.

Ben knew about death, but he never truly understood the concept of it until that moment, when the only person he could rely on left him forever. He also realised that he had never been really, truly alone until that moment. Now all he had to comfort him was the moon, which was already disappearing back behind the menacing clouds. He felt like he was empty.

The storm continued on.


	2. Perfect

Chapter 2: Perfect

~Dear Ben,

I am so sorry. I really am. Things have been so confusing for me lately, and when Dad said that you were gone, I just assumed that you left purely out of selfishness. When I asked Dad to mail the previous letter to you, he asked what it was, and I told him, and then he told me everything. I don't know why he didn't tell me the truth from the beginning. I guess things have been pretty hard for him lately. When he told me what happened, I started crying and screaming. I said some pretty mean things to him, like it was him that made you... leave, and that I wish he left instead of you. Then I ran to my room and cried a bit and then I remembered all the awful things I wrote in my letter so now I'm writing this and it was supposed to be an apology but now I'm just ranting and there's tears all over this paper and I said bad things to you and Dad and life will never be like it used to be before this all started and its all my fault.

I'm really just writing this for myself at this point, because even if you did read this letter, you would never forgive me after what I wrote just before this. But I hope that you can forgive me. And I hope that Dad will forgive me. I'll apologise to him soon, but right now I just need to be alone and take it all in. I can't remember if I mentioned this in the first letter, and to be honest I don't want to read it over to check, but I just got out of the hospital today. It's so great to be back home again, even if it's a bit messy now. I'll be going back to school soon, and I'll be getting a tutor to help catch up on all my missed work. It's not as good as having you around to help me, but it'll have to do.

I feel a little bit better now. I'm going to go apologise to Dad. I can't get mad at him. He and I are in this together now, and we can't afford to lose each other. Things haven't been easy for anyone lately, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to make things right again.

I just wish you had stayed.

Love, Serena~

X

Ben was told that he was lucky. And in many ways, he was. A late-night driver had found him on the bridge before he had caught a cold or something worse. When Ben met with the police, he was initially stubborn, choosing not to say anything. But eventually information was coaxed out of him with calming words and soft smiles. The police were shocked at just what the young child had been through, and offered him many condolences, which Ben ignored.

Another reason Ben was lucky was because, while telling the police what had happened that night that caused him to be crying in the rain on a bridge, he mentioned how his mother had hurt herself. The police pushed for more information on how she was hurt, and Ben had no reason not to tell them. He even told them about when he had been hurt. The whole time, he remained in silent tears, though he did feel stronger than he did before. When the police finished their questioning, one officer put his hand on Ben's shoulder and told him that he would make sure that Ben didn't return to his father. The thought of being raised by only his father never crossed the child's mind that night, but he was glad it wouldn't be happening.

The third reason Ben was lucky was because he was being adopted. Apparently many children go their whole lives without being adopted, and the odds were even slimmer for anyone not considered a baby. But by only the morning after Ben found himself in the compassionate company of William and Amanda Lynn.

The Lynn's were a young, happy couple who felt that they were ready to have their first child together. The two were often seen as very kind and charitable people around their neighborhood. They chose to adopt a child instead of having one of their own because they understood how many innocent children live their lives without loving and supporting families, and wanted to help fill that void. When they heard about Ben's situation, they did not even hesitate to welcome him as the newest addition to their little family.

Ben was not as inviting.

The first time Ben met his new 'family', they had been all smiles and friendly greetings. Something about them seemed like they were trying too hard, though Ben had no idea why they would be. It seemed incredibly backwards that they were trying to make _him_ like _them_, but he really had no cause to complain. Or at least he didn't at first, but after a while the act started to really annoy him.

Throughout the car ride to Ben's new home, he was bombarded with questions about himself, most of which he had no answer for. The fact that he still a toddler and was mainly kept inside for most of his life until recently meant that he had very few life experiences.

"Are there any games you like to play?" Amanda asked from the passenger seat of the car.

"No." Ben replied in a tired, monotone voice.

"C'mon, there must be _something._" She pressured.

"Nope" Ben really didn't have an answer for her, but he also just didn't want to talk. Just the night before, he had witnessed his mother commit suicide. He didn't really feel up for idle chitchat.

"Well then, what _do_ you do to pass the time?" William asked. Something in voice sounded a bit accusing, but Ben chose to ignore it. He had a tendency to misread people's emotions, and that resulted in many mistakes that got Ben in trouble. The man was probably just trying to be polite.

"I read sometimes." Ben answered, which was the closest thing to a real answer the young couple had gotten in the whole car ride.

"You can read?" Amanda said surprised. Ben had no clue why. If he could talk, why wouldn't he know how to read and write?

"Yeah" he said, going back to single syllable answers.

"Looks like we have a bit of a genius on our hands, honey!" William said with fake enthusiasm. The two of them were quiet, waiting for Ben to thank the man for the compliment. Ben did no such thing, and instead looked out the window, watching the various tall buildings glide past him.

At last, there was a lull in the conversation. At last Ben had a chance to enjoy the peaceful drive and reflect on all the things that had recently happened. It all seemed so sudden. Just the other day he was in his cozy home with his mother. He had spent the day coloring a picture until the storm started, and he grew too unnerved to do much besides stare out the window. But now his mother was gone, and the only thing he had from his home was a small suitcase mostly filled with clothes and other personal items he needed. He never thought he would ever miss that run-down house, not that it wa-

"So what kind of things do you like to read, Ben?" Amanda interrupted his train of thought with another annoying question. Ben groaned internally. It was going to be a long car ride.

X

"...And this is your new bedroom!" Amanda, who now insisted on being called 'Mom', announced. She swung the door open, presenting the room that Ben was told to call his own from now on. The room in question reminded Ben a lot of the rest of the building. It had a bed with blue sheets that had enough room for seven of him to sleep comfortably. There were two different dressers that matched the white bed frame, the smaller of the two having an elegant mirror hanging above it. Across from the bed was a flimsy yet still elegant clock. Beside the bed was a nightstand with a lamp that was the same blue as the bed's blanket. There was even a potted plant by the window and three abstract paintings that matched the room's white and blue theme. If there was one word to describe the room, and the house in general, it would be 'catalogue '.

"It's too big" Ben said, not whining, but still complaining like a child would. He had a feeling that the couple had picked up on his bad attitude over the day, but decided to ignore it. At the same time, Ben had no intentions of cheering up, as he had absolutely no time with his own thoughts since he first met the couple. He felt like he was being smothered by their cheeriness and enthusiasm, and therefore felt he didn't owe it to them or anyone else to smile back.

"Don't worry," said 'Dad', "It'll feel a whole lot smaller once all your things are in here." He reassured. Ben knew this was a lie, though. The suitcase that held all the belongings that were salvaged from his home could easily and comfortably fit inside a single dresser drawer. Ben decided not to call him out on his lie, though. At this point, it just didn't seem worth the time.

"Speaking of which," 'Mom' continued, "we should probably start unpacking." She stepped into the large room and put his suitcase on the soft carpet and started zip it open.

"I'll do it myself." Ben said. This would be the perfect opportunity to have some much-needed time to himself and his mind. The couple exchanged a glance, their expressions unreadable to everyone but themselves, like a sort of secret language. This irritated Ben. He hated when people kept secrets from him.

"Alright, then. If you need any help, we'll be in the living room. You remember how to get there, right?" Ben nodded eagerly, his cold composure faltering for a moment before he quickly collected himself. The two waved goodbye like it was the last time they'd see him before walking out the door behind them, leaving him alone. More out of habit than anything else, Ben waited by the door for one, two, three long moments after they left before letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. At last, he could he him.

Ben hoisted himself onto the blue bed and sat down, crossing his legs. He sighed. The room was completely quiet besides the ticking of a clock on the wall adjacent to him. He took several deep breaths, calming himself down before he began to think.

_tick_

His mother was dead. Ben felt no need to sugar coat it anymore; it was just a fact. She had killed herself willingly, and had made the decision to end her life that night. Whether she had planned it in advance, or she had reached her breaking point after she hurt herself that night, Ben would never know.

_tick_

No, she didn't hurt herself. His father was the one who hurt her, and his father was the one who hurt him. It was his father who made his mother to commit suicide that night. It was his father that caused Ben to be snatched from his home and into this painfully perfect world.

_Tick_

But what was so wrong about this new life, this new family, and this new opportunity for normalcy? Ben knew that his old family was dysfunctional. That became apparent once he met this new 'average' family. He likely wouldn't have survived long in that old life. Should he shrug that whole world off like a heavy load and embrace this new life?

_Tick_

No. He didn't belong here. His place of belonging always has and always will be with his mother. Denying that would be like denying his own self, denying who he was. These people obviously now happy the way things were. They were lying to themselves, pretending that everything in the world is just perfect with their perfect smiles and perfect clothes and perfect life. It was painful for Ben to even think about them.

Tick

Ben would never be like them. No matter what the costs, Ben would make sure that he stayed true to himself. He would make sure that they didn't infect him with their counterfeit joy. He would make sure of it, even if it ended up killing him.

Tick

And maybe that was why his mother had ended it. It was not his father at all, but rather the lies that founded the earth and everyone in it. She, much like Ben, was not like the rest of society, and therefore had to die in order to hide from people like Ben's newfound faux family that tried so hard to change him from the moment they first met.

TICK

Suddenly, Ben lost his concentration. He couldn't quite remember what he was thinking about. He tried his best to remember, but it was like trying to grab something just out of his reach. He winced, only now realising that a throbbing headache had grown while he was distracted. Such intense, philosophical thinking was not easy for one as young as him.

TICK

Ben looked up at the clock. He realised that it was its loud ticking that had broken his concentration. He glared at it, but it still kept ticking away. He then found himself growling at it slightly like he had seen dogs do, but it persisted. What was its problem? Why was everything in the world so determined to keep Ben from comprehending his own broken life? What is the world trying to hide? Couldn't he be alone for one minute? Was that really too much to ask of the universe?

_tick_

Ben lost it.

He let out a loud shout before charging at the clock. Without thinking twice, he pulled it from the wall and threw it to the ground. When it didn't break, he picked it up and smashed it into the floor repeatedly until eventually it was nothing more but large splinters scattered along the carpet. When Ben no longer heard the infernal ticking, he stopped and stared at the mess. He couldn't believe that he did that. Usually he just kept things to himself, but this time he lost control. And something about it felt... good?

"What happened!?" he saw Amanda standing in the doorway, her hands covering her mouth. She must have heard his shouting. Ben just looked away from her and to the mess on the floor.

"Ben, what happened?" she asked, slightly calmer this time, but still with a lingering note of surprise.

"Won't tell those details to you." He said quietly, his voice completely calm and reserved. He didn't take his eyes off of what was once a very expensive clock.

"Excuse me?"

"Won't tell that to you" he said more loudly than before. He then decided to turn and look at his imposter mother. Her eyes looked hurt, like someone had just insulted her. In fact, she looked like she might start crying. Part of Ben felt awful. He didn't want to hurt anyone. He just wanted to be alone. But then he remembered that she was part of the reason he couldn't be alone. She was in the way. She deserved this.

That was when Ben saw it. He saw part of the code that held this perfect little word together. In order to maintain this false perfection, people depended on each other to follow rules. Rules that nobody set, yet somehow were universally followed. But if somebody interrupted the world's flow, put a stain in its flawless plan, then people would see him as an error. He would be cast out, seen as a flaw, and he could be away from all the lies in the world.

As long as Ben could continue to perform these small acts of chaos, then he wouldn't have to be bothered by others.

So that was exactly what Ben did.

X

It took nearly a month, but Ben eventually began to achieve peace. It was not easy, but he knew he had the courage it took to reach his goal. He had spent the majority of his life prior to recent events being scared of getting in trouble, but now that was his very goal. He had started out with simply breaking expensive-looking trinkets like the clock, and then started to deny his new parents the respect they wanted. He called them by their real names instead of 'Mom' and 'Dad', and said very little to them when they spoke to him. When he did speak, he didn't say what they wanted to hear.

Speaking of which...

"Ben, why do you keep doing this?" William asked. Ben was sitting on the sofa in the living room when he had stormed in, holding the cover of a book with half its pages ripped out and the other half covered in crayon. Apparently he did not appreciate Ben's latest artwork, which he had titled _Lord of Despise._

Ben remained silent. The man should have figured out Ben's motives by now. It William couldn't figure out what he was doing wrong by now, then everything that happened to him was only his own fault.

"Answer me, Ben." He was getting frustrated. Ben felt incredibly successful for being able to bring such perfect people so low. It almost made it worth being constantly annoyed. At least they were showing their true colors now.

"Benjamin Lynn, you will answer me!" That hurt. Even after weeks of work, they still insisted that Ben be assimilated a one of them. Ben would not take that.

"That's not my name." And it wasn't. Even though his last name had been changed during the adoption process, his first name was still simply Ben. It wasn't short for anything. His name, as far as the child was concerned, would always be Ben. That was who he was. Nobody would change that. Nobody.

Ben thought he was able to remain stoic, but William must have been able to see that he felt slighted. He sat down on the couch next to Ben and put the tattered novel on the coffee table. Ben refused to look at the man, instead studying the small hands that rested on his lap.

"Ben, me and Mo- erm, Amanda understand that things must have been very difficult for you lately." Ben widened his eyes slightly. The couple always referred to each other as 'Mom' and 'Dad' when he was around.

"But we just want to be there for you. Instead of taking everything out on us, just tell us what the problem is. We're family, and families are there for each other in their time of need. Me and Amanda, we've tried our best to make you as happy as we can, but we can't succeed unless you stop pushing us away."

Ben had heard the lecture before. Every time, Ben stayed quiet, and he was eventually left alone. That was great in short term, but it seemed things would never be completely fine unless Ben drove it in their thick skulls exactly what he wanted. Ben felt like he had lost some sort of game by telling William the problem, but it had to be done. Ben turned to the man, and said with all the confidence he could muster:

"I will never be a part of this family."

The two of them looked into each other's eyes for a moment before William sighed. "Yeah, I thought that was it." Ben didn't show it, but he was a bit surprised. It seemed these people weren't as dimwitted as they seemed. The man got up from the sofa and walked away, leaving Ben to himself in the empty living room.

He was alone, but he had no idea what to do. He stared at _Lord of Despise, _the pig on the cover staring back at him through the red scribbles he had drawn. It looked almost as if it was sad. For a moment, Ben felt like his actions were less like freedom fighting and more like a waste of a good book. But then he remembered that he had to do this. It was the only way things could be like they used to be, before life became a lie.

X

At first, Ben thought he had won.

He wasn't sure if there was one specific event that had caused the couple to break, or if it was the result of nearly two months of defiance, but that didn't really matter to him. The important thing was that they had given up. William and Amanda had told him that they were sorry, but it seemed they weren't cut out for being parents after all. He knew they were lying, of course, because they really just weren't cut out for being _his _parents. Ben had no problem with that, though. It made him feel special.

He was told that he would be living with a foster family. As far as he could tell, it would be like a real family but without the constant affection. This meant that he could be alone with himself, the only person that mattered to him anymore. Nobody to pester him with lies and deceit. Just Ben.

It didn't turn out that way, though. The people he was forced to stay with were an older couple who loved to smile and were very hospitable to guests and the children they cared for. When Ben had first met them, they had introduced themselves as Gerald and Katherine. They gave him a grand tour of the house the moment he arrived. The building was small, but not in the cozy and sheltering way his first home was. This one felt more... empty.

But what told Ben that he had now won after all was what the man said to him the moment he first saw him. It would seem innocent enough to anyone watching, and maybe even a tiny bit heartwarming. But for Ben, it was a sign that told him that his work was far from over:

"Hello Ben. We hope you'll feel right at home here with us. If you ever need anything, be sure to let us know."

Another perfect couple that refused to leave him alone. Another perfect couple that tries to assimilate him into their lying ways. Another perfect couple he would need to break.

Ben sighed. He guessed he just wasn't very lucky.


	3. Forgotten

Chapter 3: Forgotten

~Dear Ben,

It has been _way_ too long since we last talked. I found those letters I wrote to you when I first got home from the hospital stuffed into my junk drawer, and I got a bit nostalgic. I can't believe it's been over a year since I wrote those. I hope you don't feel ignored over in heaven, or wherever you're supposed to be. So anyways, I decided that I'd write another letter, because I still really miss you. Not that I even need to say that, since I'm sure you know already.

Dad's gotten a lot better. He seems happier now. I wonder if that's because I'm here now or if he's accepted everything that's happened. He used to avoid talking about you, but now you come up in casual conversation all the time. I think he actually did blame himself for what happened to you. Don't worry, though. Like I said, he's fine now.

My grades have gotten back up, and I've stopped needing a tutor. It's still pretty hard, since I did miss months of school. I haven't been able to play video games anymore. I just don't have the time. But I promise that as soon as I can I'm gonna beat OoT and then start playing your favorite game. I don't know how I'll be able to do it without you, though. You probably have more play time on my save file than I do just by helping me whenever I got stuck. I always tell people that my brother was the best Zelda player to ever exist. Then again, you'd never even held a controller until you met me, so I guess you have me to thank for discovering your talent.

I was worried that I would be alone in school now that you're gone, but I guess I was wrong. I've started hanging out with some other kids all the time. They're pretty nice, and they make good company. I don't really have a lot of common interests with them, but we still hang out during school hours and joke around a lot. It'll never be like the friendship you and I had, but it's better than being lonely all the time. Besides, I still have Dad. I think him and I have gotten a lot closer after everything that's happened. I guess we both realised how fragile life can be sometimes.

I better get going. I have some homework I need to do, and then I have to do my chores. Tell Mom that I said hi. I miss you!

Love, Serena~

X

Ben thought that that Mrs. Irvine was overreacting. After all, the vet _did_ say that her dog would probably be fine, didn't he? Besides, if the thing didn't want the rest of Ben's chocolate bar, then it shouldn't have constantly whined every time he tried to just eat his food in peace. The dog probably wouldn't want to eat human food anymore either, so he was really doing everyone a favor, including himself, because apparently training disobedient animals was a good reason to kick Ben out of the Irvine's household.

His stay with the Irvine's was actually one of the shorter stays he had with a family. After nearly half a decade of bouncing from one home to the next, he had gotten very proficient at breaking people who pretend to be perfect. Of course, he always gave people the benefit of the doubt in the beginning. But not once in his life so far did a family choose to leave him alone. It was as if he was doomed to live around fake people for all eternity. Still, he hoped that the next family would be the one that would give him the space he strived for.

Things didn't _exactly _happen that way.

When Ben first arrived at the latest house, it took an unusually long time for the door to be answered. He was already considering knocking again by the time the door swung open. For a brief moment, he thought that there was nobody there, and the door had somehow opened itself, but then he realised that the person on the other side of the door was just much, much smaller than he was expecting.

In fact, this person was a young girl, roughly the same age as Ben. She gave the boy a warm smile. "You must be Ben! Stay right there. I'll go get my parents." And with that abrupt greeting, she left, leaving Ben still standing by the doorway. After waiting a short amount of time, he decided to just let himself inside, closing the door behind him.

Soon, a man and woman approached him, with the girl from before following closely behind. "Hello Ben" said the man, "My name is Marvin, and this is Cynthia" he gestured to who was likely his wife.

The woman smiled politely. "Let me show you to your room" she said. She started down the hallway, and Ben quickly picked up his suitcase and followed her. He was led to an average looking bedroom with a small bed, a dresser, and a curtained window looking out towards the woods outside. "Will you be needing any help?" Cynthia asked. The way she said it made it seem less like a demand for him to be with her and more like an act of politeness. Ben shook his head. The woman simply nodded and closed the door, leaving him alone.

That wasn't right.

How could he already be alone? Whenever he met a family for the first time, it was usually at least an hour of greetings and an extensive tour of the house, followed by more greetings, until Ben wanted to claw his eyes out and stuff them down the ever-active mouths of the family members. But now, there was none of that. The whole process between arriving at this house and being left alone in his room hardly took only a few minutes, besides all the unexplained awkward waiting. He had already been left alone to himself. Where was the catch?

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Oh, there it was.

"What?" Ben said, annoyed. He couldn't believe he actually thought he had managed to be alone. That would never happen. He would never be so fortunate.

"It's me" said the high-pitched voice of the girl who had first answered the door. "I just wanted to tell you that if you ever get bored, then you'll find all the cool stuff down in the basement. That's where I usually am." Ben then heard her walk away. He waited for one, two, three long moments until he was sure she was gone. When he was certain she had left, he let out a breath he was apparently holding. It seemed he actually was alone, somehow.

It couldn't be that easy, could it? After years of making other people miserable, there was a family who was willing to just leave him be without any encouragement from himself. This had to be a trick. It just had to be. Any minute now, somebody was going to break the door down and start pestering him with trivial things like his hobbies and interests and how he was going to love his new home and life.

But nobody came. The more Ben waited, the more it became apparent that he was really alone. These people didn't care about him. He was finally isolated with his thoughts, after all these years of hard work. He could finally reflect on everything he had gone through, and how different his life had become.

But there was a problem.

It was a problem that seemed so obvious, that Ben felt like a fool for not realising it much earlier. A problem that made years of ruining the lives around him seem like one gigantic mistake. In fact, it made his life of loathing and hatred feel like just one big waste of time.

Somewhere along the line, Ben had forgotten his early life. It made sense, really. He had only been toddler at the time his mother died. The fact that he could even remember those events on that ill-fated stormy night was astounding. But other than that sole bleak occasion, he had very little recollection of his mother and father. He remembered that he loved his mother, since they were both in the same unfortunate situation together, but he couldn't seem to recall any other reason he had to love her. He remembered that his father was an awful man, and knew that he had beaten him once, but he couldn't remember the actual event. All of that had vanished. Ben had lost himself without even noticing.

And because he had forgotten his past life, he had nothing to reflect upon. The reason he had wanted to be alone was so he could take the time to repair his shattered life and figure out what to do from there. But, over time, the fragments that remained of his life were swept away, and he had become an empty shell of who he once was, unable to return. He had no purpose, and his loneliness was now unnecessary.

But maybe it wasn't a total waste. His constant defiance had stopped him from living a lie. He was constantly surrounded by people that pretended to be better than they actually were. Because he stayed to himself, he also stayed true to himself, even when other parts of him were forgotten. But now that Ben thought about it, not everyone he met was extremely phony. In fact, many of the people he had met over the years seemed very genuine in their concern for Ben, even if they ended up smothering him to a point that made him feel suffocated. But he wasn't really being smothered. He just pushed them all away.

Ben had gotten a headache, as he usually obtained when he got frustrated. He now had everything he had ever longed and fought for, but he also now had nothing. He decided to just clear his mind by unpacking. He still didn't have many personal belongings. He never realised until then that everything that had originally come from his first home had been replaced by something newer. This aggravated Ben. He longed for something that would remind him of his past, of who he once was, of what he lived for. But there was nothing.

Maybe he could be somebody else. Or maybe he could still be the same person he always was, and just live differently. Maybe he hadn't really forgotten himself, but simply evolved. Maybe he could change again while still being himself. Maybe he was asking too many questions. Maybe it didn't really matter, in the end.

Only then did Ben notice that he had finished unpacking, and was just sitting on his bed again. He stared at the blank white sheets as if they were the most important thing in the world. Ben suddenly felt drained of all energy. He glanced at the digital clock beside the bed. Somehow he had spent over an hour deliberating on his past actions. He felt a bit tired, but his mind was still too full of thought for a nap. He felt he needed to do something to clear his mind. Maybe once he took a break from thinking, he could come back with a fresh mind and figure out what he would do with the rest of his life.

'_You'll find all the cool stuff down in the basement'_, he rememberedthe girl from earlier saying. While the vagueness of 'cool stuff' was a tad off-putting for him, he was sure it would suffice as an alternative from regretting life choices.

Since he hadn't been given a tour of the house, it took him a while to find the basement. The house wasn't small, but it was rather welcoming and homely, an atmosphere that was likely produced by the various knickknacks placed decoratively around the home. By the time Ben discovered the stairs leading down to the basement, he already had a good idea of what the house's pleasant interior looked like.

The room itself was just as friendly as the rest of the house, but with children's drawings taped next to a portrait hanging on the wall parallel to him. There was a coffee table covered in board games and piles of construction paper with some pieces cut up. The room also had a few toys lying on the floor, abandoned by whoever was last playing with them. But the object that stood out most in the room was a giant television.

The TV actually wasn't that big, but the illusion of a larger size was made by placing it on top of a stout cabinet with glass doors. Looking through those doors, a pile of rectangular objects could be seen, as well as some oddly-shaped remotes. There were also some other strangely shaped devices that Ben could not name. Adjacent to the TV was a large, comfortable looking sofa, and on it sat the young girl from earlier. Her back was facing the young boy, and she stared at the screen in front of her intently.

Ben wasn't sure what he should do. He didn't see any promised 'cool stuff', but then again, he didn't really know what to look for. He didn't know what he was expecting.

"Um... hello?" he said, bringing the girl's attention to himself. She turned around to face him, and when she saw him, she beamed brightly at him. The smile seemed natural to her.

"Hi, Ben. Welcome," she gestured around the room theatrically, "to the best room in the whole house". Ben looked around once again, but the room still seemed as ordinary as it did with his first impression.

"What's so special about it?" he asked. Ben thought that she might get offended by his contradiction, but instead she patted the seat on the couch next to her, motioning for him to seat himself down. Ben briefly considered his options before sitting next to her, uncomfortable due to the sudden closeness of the two of them.

Once he sat down, she pointed to the TV in front of them. "That's what's so special" she said confidently. Ben didn't know what he was looking at. On the screen was some sort of figure with its back turned to the screen, standing silently in the middle of a field. Occasionally the figure would shift a little, but other than that, nothing happened. It was probably the strangest show he had ever seen.

"What is this?" Ben asked. The girl's eyes widened.

"You haven't heard of this yet?" she asked surprised. Ben shook his head. She still wore a friendly smile through her shock.

"Wow, I thought everyone had heard of this game by now," she said, more to herself than to Ben. "This is the newest Legend of Zelda game that came out. It's called Ocarina of Time. I've only had it for a few months, but it's already my most favorite game of all time!"

Ben finally understood what the strange things on the screen were. This wasn't a TV show, but a video game. He had overheard the children at school talking about them, but he had never actually seen what they looked like. From what he had gathered, they were games where you won by pressing various buttons. The concept seemed rather boring, so he had never gone out of his way to learn more.

"What's 'Legend of Zelda'?" he asked the girl. He watched as her eyes widened to the point where they threatened to pop out of their sockets, and her mouth dropped down to her knees in pure shock. For a moment, Ben thought that she was having some sort of heart attack.

"Are you serious? You've never even _heard_ of_ any _of the games?" Ben shook his head. She stared in awe and a touch of horror for another moment before shoving one of the strange controllers into his hands. "No, I _won't_ allow this. You're playing the game right now, whether you like it or not." She said, but didn't actually seem angry at him.

Ben looked back up at the screen and saw that the sun was already beginning to set in the game. He held the controller awkwardly in his hands, not knowing what the buttons were meant for. He stared at the controller in confusion before deciding to move the control stick in the middle of the controller. The person in the game moved along with him. Ben made the figure run in circles for a while, getting used to the feeling of the movements and the controls.

He had a firm grasp on moving around when night fell in the game. Ben thought nothing of it initially, but then something took him for surprise. The skeletons of some strange animal started to rise out of the ground and began to pursue the character on screen. When they touched the figure, he would flash red and a chunk of one of the hearts in the corner of the screen would disappear. Ben ran from the abominations, unprepared for the sudden attack.

"Press 'B' to swing your sword" the girl beside him informed in her constantly perky voice. He isolated the 'B' button from the other buttons and pressed it. The character on screen slashed out a sword that Ben hadn't noticed he had before. He mashed the button several times, and the boy in the game became surrounded in a wall of sharp blades. When a skeleton monster tried again to assault him, the miscreation was repeatedly hit by the sword until it crumpled to the ground and disappeared. Reveling in his newfound power, Ben did the same with the other skeleton that rose from the ground. He quickly found himself enthralled by the action of destroying the monsters one by one, forgetting about his discomfort of being around the girl and settled into his seat with determination. It was as if all the hatred and defiance inside him was forgotten with each slash of his sword. He had been fully enraptured by the simple yet satisfying game when the sun rose and the creatures sank back into the polygonal earth they came from.

"Addictive, isn't it?" the girl said with a satisfied smirk. Ben nodded, now wandering the expansive field in search of more enemies, but none were to be found.

"I didn't think that video games were so..." he couldn't find the word. All he knew was that with only a few minutes of playing, he had completely disregarded his forgetting. The game somehow had a way of sucking away the worries he held onto.

Apparently he didn't need to finish the sentence, because the girl nodded in understanding. Her face, while still surrounded in a fun-spirited air, became very serious. "Whenever I'm stressed out about my parents or school or anything else, or just when I'm bored, I come down here. Games have a way of helping me forget about my problems. Even when there's nothing wrong, they help me relax and feel better." She said, looking deep into Ben's eyes.

Ben didn't know what to do or say, which seemed to be a common theme around her. Everything about her seemed so incredibly genuine, as if she couldn't hide anything about herself if she tried. After being around so many fake people, she was truly a comfort.

With Ben's prolonged silence, the girl's cheeks turned rosy red. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get too personal. I do that a lot. I just- I mean, nobody gets why I like games so much. I guess I was hoping that you would like it, so that..." she trailed off, looking down on the floor.

"I like it." Ben said. "And I can see what you were talking about. It has a way of calming me, letting me relax." For some reason, it hurt him to see her sad. He thought his inexperience caused him to do a terrible job at comforting her, but she immediately perked up and started smiling brightly again.

"Really?" she asked. Ben nodded, offering her a small smile. He never noticed before how good it felt to smile, especially when the smile was genuine. The girl grinned even wider. "Do you want to start your own game?" she asked eagerly. He pondered the question for a moment, but his decision seemed obvious.

"I think I'd like that." He said. The girl, ever-smiling, immediately saved and quit her game and went back to the start menu. Ben watched the screen, and saw that there were three save files, but only one was in use. He read the name on the top file, and realised something that was probably important: he didn't know the girl's name. Was the name on the save file hers? There was only one way to know.

"Is Serena your name?" he asked her. Her eyes widened as she stopped what she was doing on the game.

"I didn't tell you my name!?" she seemed shocked. "Sorry, I guess I wasn't thinking. I better introduce myself now." She stuck her hand out towards him. "Hello, my name is Serena. Serena Natsuki Mori. Nice to meet you."

Ben took her hand and shook it. "Ben Raphael Drewett. It's nice to meet you, too." Although he wasn't used to being polite or even kind for long periods of time, something about the girl he now knew as Serena made him feel... he wasn't quite sure how he felt. But he knew he liked her. She was bubbly and full of life, and just being around her seemed to bring about a certain joy he never felt before.

He was supposed to be mad. He was supposed to be angry for forgetting about his past life, and all his work spreading anarchy being for naught, and having to put up with people who refused to leave him alone, and losing his purpose and direction. But for some reason, it didn't matter to him at that moment. He was with Serena, who he enjoyed more and more with every passing moment. And he was about to start playing Ocarina of Time, which had a mystical way of making worries insignificant.

"Here, I'll let you put in your name." Serena passed the controller to Ben, who was glad to have it back. He quickly punched in 'B-E-N' and hit the END button before Serena had time to object.

"You're not supposed to use all capital letters" she pouted. Ben smirked at her.

"I don't play by the rules" he said cheekily. Really, he was just too lazy to go to the lower case letters, but he wasn't about to tell her that. She shot him an arrogant look.

"If you can't even put your name in right, then you'll never beat this game" she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Ben smiled.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked, his competitive tendencies coming out.

"If you want it to be." She said with a small shrug, still wearing a half-smile half-smirk. Ben nodded to her. Now he had a clear objective: to fully complete the game as soon as he could. With determination, he selected his newly created save file and started up the game.

"_In the vast, deep forest of Hyrule..." _the game said in white text. Ben settled into his seat, excited for what was to come. In less than a day, his entire life had changed dramatically. He had no idea what was to come for him, but he did know one thing: Things would be a lot more fun from now on.


	4. Sink

Chapter 4: Sink

~Dear Ben,

Today, Dad and I went out to the lake for the first time in what feels like _forever_. The two of us have been so busy lately, so we haven't had time to keep that family tradition alive. But today is a Saturday, and its summer, and it's absolutely wonderful outside, so we decided to make the time to go out and have fun while the weather was still nice. I'll admit that it was really weird to go out on the lake without Mom with us, but I think we both had a really good time. I can't speak for Dad, but it reminded me a lot of back when things were... simpler.

You know, I always felt so bad leaving you alone while the rest of us were having fun in the water. I would be enjoying myself, watching the water and bathing in the sunlight, and then I would turn around to see you. You would just be sitting by the shore, watching our red boat circle the lake. You always seemed so lonely by yourself, but you always insisted on coming with us instead of staying home. And then, of course, you were always invited to the boat with us, but you insisted on staying on land. I guess we couldn't really blame you. After what happened to your mother as well as what happened the first time you went with us, I think you were allowed to have your water phobia.

I've gotta admit, I really wish you had let me teach you how to swim. It probably would have helped you conquer your fears, and then you could have gotten on the boat with us. And maybe you'd still be here. No, wait, forget about that. I won't start thinking about it. I've done enough of that already. What happened is sad, but it's over, and all I can do is keep moving forward.

So I guess I wrote this because Dad and I went to the lake, and I miss you. In hindsight, this wasn't the best excuse to write to you. I guess you were just on my mind. And whenever you're on my mind, I feel like I'd be ignoring you if I don't write to you, even if you'll never read this. Anyways, I need to go, but I promise I'll write you again soon.

Love, Serena~

X

It was a simple question. So simple, in fact, that the answer should have been obvious. But nevertheless, it was a question that plagued Ben since his first day with the Mori family. He kept telling himself that he didn't care whether the answer was yes or no, but eventually he couldn't keep lying to himself. It had gotten to the point that he just needed to know. So, one day, he approached Serena, posing his simple yet heavy question.

"Do your parents hate me?"

She immediately paused her game and looked at him with wide eyes "_What?_" she said, shocked with both the implications and abruptness of the question.

"Do your parents hate me?" Ben repeated matter-of-factly. Serena just stared at him in awe, as if he had just grown a third eye and lost his nose.

"Of course not!" she said. "Why would you even think that?"

There were many ways that Ben could have answered that question. He could have told her about how they spent less than five minutes with him when meeting him for the first time, or how they hardly ever spoke to him, or how they hardly ever spoke _around _him, or how they just generally didn't seem that interested in them. But he didn't say any of those things. Instead, he just shrugged. "I don't know."

Serena gave him a look that seemed to say 'I know you're lying'. Ben looked away from her. He shouldn't have done that. He shouldn't have said anything. He should have just let her keep playing the game. He could still feel her gaze on him.

"Ben..." she scolded. He sighed.

"They just don't seem that interested in me. I can't figure out why they would be foster parents if they don't want anything to do with me. The only reason I can imagine is if they hate me" he admitted. He looked up at Serena only to see that her expression had changed to one of compassion and empathy.

"Don't worry about it. My parents... they're not really good at affection. They work a lot, so I think that they sometimes forget how to act around those they love." The reflective way she explained that made it seem that Serena herself had that explained to her at one point. He ignored that and shot her a quizzical look.

"Are you saying that your parents love me?" he asked. She thought about it for a moment before responding.

"Maybe not yet, but I'm sure that they'd feel just like I do if they got to know you better." At that moment, Ben didn't realise that she had given him a compliment and questioned her further.

"But how are they supposed to get to know me if they always push me away?" It was only until after he had said it that Ben noticed the irony of that statement. He had spent his life pushing his foster families away from him, and now that he wanted affection, he was being pushed away by the parents.

Serena thought about his question for a moment, until a wide grin grew across her face. "I think I have an idea" she said. She got up from her seat on the couch and started towards the stairs. "I'll be right back. You just stay there, ok?" she said, and bounded up the stairs before Ben could respond.

He considered going up the stairs after her and spying on her, just to see what she was planning, but decided against it. She had told him to stay in the basement, and doing otherwise seemed like it would be some sort of insult to her. After staying with the Mori's for nearly two months, he had certainly gotten attached to Serena. In only a short time, her bubbly and outgoing personality had definitely altered his own personality quite a bit. He found himself being in higher spirits. He had gotten used to joking around with Serena and playing games with her. He had also ceased his troublemaking habits, making sure to be kind to his new family. These were changes he enjoyed very much...

Wait, did Serena just imply that she loved him?

He heard Serena descending the stairs. He turned to see her wearing a giant smile that stretched from ear to ear. She was practically bouncing over to him.

"Why are you so happy?" Ben asked her. She just grinned more as she sat down next to him and looked into his eyes.

"Tomorrow. Get hyped" she said. Ben raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"_What?" _he said, but Serena just smiled excitedly. "What's happening tomorrow?" he asked, but she failed to elaborate. Ben kept asking her questions, but she refused to say another word, yet continued to wear that same smile for the rest of the day.

X

Ben woke up groggily, the warmth of his bed pleading him to stay in its hold until the end of time. It almost won, but Ben managed to will himself away from the cozy fortress before he was once again taken away by slumber's sweet embrace. He had stayed awake longer than he normally would have, wondering what his friend had in store for him that had made her so excited. Now, of course, he wanted nothing other than to sleep, but the same curiosity that kept him awake gave him the strength to get up and get dressed, although he did so rather lethargically.

He dragged himself down the hallway and towards the kitchen. He saw that both Serena and her parents were already awake and having breakfast. He sat himself on the empty chair and poured some cereal in an empty bowl that was set out for him.

"Good morning Ben!" Serena sang. She seemed even happier than yesterday, and was so energetic that her body seemed to be in constant motion. Ben simply nodded at her and started working on eating his cereal. She tilted her head to the side.

"Hey, why so grumpy?" she asked innocently. Ben glared at her.

"I'm grumpy because you couldn't take one second to tell me what was happening today, so I spent _all night _wondering about it instead of sleeping." He deadpanned. Serena either didn't pick up on his accusing tone or simply chose to ignore it.

"Well, I promise that you'll feel better soon, because today is going to be really fun! Isn't that right?" She turned to her parents. Her mother, Cynthia, nodded.

"We thought this was a great idea when Serena suggested it. I hope you'll enjoy what we have planned today, Ben" she smiled. Her smile was smaller than more tame than her daughter's, but it was still very similar. Ben could tell that Serena had gotten hers from her mother.

Ben stopped eating his cereal and tiredly smiled at her out of politeness. "I'm sure I will" He wasn't really mad at Serena. He wasn't sure if he even could be. And her mother, despite not talking to Ben very much, was always exceptionally courteous to him. She had a sort of elegance to her that always made her seem blissful and content.

Ben finished eating his breakfast, now feeling more energetic thanks to the food. He placed his bowl in the sink, where he would wash it later. He had begun to take on some of the household chores, including doing the dishes every other day.

"We'd better get going" said Serena's father as he got up from his seat. Everyone else got up from their chairs and put their dishes in the sink. Serena's father, much like her mother, seemed kind and considerate to others. He didn't speak as much to Ben as his wife did, but still treated him with respect. He also worked longer hours than his wife, so he always seemed a bit more tired than her, but was always willing to help Cynthia and Serena when they needed him. Considering some other fathers Ben had lived with, Marvin Mori was far from the worst.

The four of them filed out of the door, Ben stepping out last. He expected them to go into their car, but instead walked away from it and down the beaten path into the woods surrounding the house. While the home itself was not very extravagant, it was protected by plenty of trees and who knows what else. Serena had shown Ben around the woods multiple times, but he had a feeling that he had only scratched the surface of what was hiding in there.

His feeling was confirmed when he noticed that he didn't recognise the area that they were in. It didn't take them long to reach their destination, but when they did, Ben was completely shocked with what he saw. He froze in place and was overcome with a sudden horrific sinking feeling.

"Surprised?" Serena said cheekily. Ben only stared with eyes wide open. Any part of him that was still tired was snapped awake with a sudden rush of fear; a rush that apparently went unnoticed by the others around him.

"These woods aren't actually private property, but people just assume it is since the area is so small and our house is so close. So that means that we pretty much have the lake all to ourselves" she said, looking out at the large body of water. The hot sun shone down on the lake, making light shimmer and twinkle on its surface. The water itself was sky blue and seemed perfectly clean. It stretched very far and seemed very, _very _deep. "Isn't it beautiful?" she sighed.

"Um, y-yeah, sure..." Ben said, trying and failing to hide his discomfort. Oddly, Serena didn't notice. Perhaps he was better at hiding his fears than he thought.

"Oh, you're going to have so much fun!" She said, grabbing his hand and pulling him closer to the water. Only when she led him closer did Ben realise that there was a large, red rowboat on the shore waiting for them. There was just enough room inside of it for four people.

"We're going inside _that?" _he pointed to the boat. Serena nodded excitedly.

"Uh-huh. Bet you've never gone on a boat in your own personal lake, have you?" she smiled widely. Ben shook his head anxiously. He watched as Marvin and Cynthia pushed the boat to the edge of the water. Serena's father waved to them, signalling for them to climb into the boat.

"Um, Serena?" Ben started uneasily. She looked at him with wide, shimmering eyes that seemed full of joy. And she was smiling, always smiling, that smile that said that brought joy to all who saw it. He gulped. "I-I don't think I can do this."

He watched as she deflated, her glee suddenly escaping from her. "Oh..." she said dejectedly. Ben could hardly look at her hurt expression, but forced himself to bear through it. "Why not?"

Ben searched for a good answer, but found none. "I... I just can't."

Suddenly, Serena grabbed Ben's hands and held them tightly in her own. "Please? Would you come with us? Just this once?" Her innocent brown eyes stared deeply into his uneasy ocean-blue ones. Ben could hardly stand the strain. He had no choice but to either face scars that should have healed long ago or disappoint his only, yet most valued friend. He glanced over to the large, deep body of water, and back at Serena, and sighed.

"Just this once." Ben told her. Her face instantly brightened up again. She let go of his hands, only to gift him with a sudden hug. Ben tensed up in surprise, but then returned the embrace. He could do this. For her.

Serena eventually released him and the two made their way to the boat, where the couple were still waiting for them. If they had witnessed their exchange, they gave no clear sign of it. The three of them hopped into the boat without flourish. Ben slowly and unsurely eased himself into the small vessel, taking caution as to not rock it. At one point, he was certain that it was about to capsize, but the trio did not react to the rocking, and he managed to steady himself. Eventually, he managed to fully step into the boat and sit down next to Serena. He let out a shaky breath. He hoped that would be the hardest part.

Each holding onto a paddle, Serena's parents abandoned the shore and made for the center of the lake. Ben tried his best not to look at the water and pretend he was still on dry land. When that didn't work on its own, he closed his eyes and tried to imagine that he was still in the woods, protected by the plentiful trees, but the sound of the boat slicing through water made it near impossible. He tried for one, two, three moments before giving up and opening his eyes again.

He looked at Serena. She stared at the water that passed by, already seeming completely entranced by the tiny waves. She wore a content expression that did not at all match her hyperactive state earlier. It seemed going out into the water relaxed her the same way that her games did. Ben felt intense jealousy for her ability to enjoy herself and not worry if someone would hop out of the boat and drown themselves without warning.

He decided to try and follow her lead, so he looked over his side of the boat and stared at the water. He could feel his heart racing, and he felt as if his pounding heart would destroy him from the inside, but he stared into the water anyways. At times he thought he was able to make out the bottom of the lake, but he could never tell if it was simply his mind playing tricks with him or not. His breathing refused to regulate, and he started to feel a dull pain in his stomach. He felt sick, but he still ignored it and stared into the water.

Water. Water is what gave life, Ben told himself. It makes plants grow, therefore creating food that is necessary for survival. It also steals the air from your lungs and causes you to slowly suffocate. Thousands upon thousands die each year because of water, and every single time a family is left broken and scattered. Young children are left alone in a world that seems like a lie until they forget who they are. Water takes lives away.

Ben brought his knees up to his chest. He could still see the slight silhouette edging towards the furious water. He still heard the small yet terror-filled shriek as she fell into the murderous water, and heard the silence that followed as her screams were continued underwater, where they were stolen away from his own ears. He still felt the tears that flooded down his face as the moon peered out from behind the blackened clouds.

"Ben?"

Ben stared into the water. He couldn't look anywhere else. He was trapped.

If even one of these people that he had grown attached to sank into the water, he would lose them, just as he had lost his mother. Why had he allowed himself to become attached to them? Everyone he cared about always would up leaving. And now, they were about to be snatched away by the cruel hands of the watery depths. He was about to be left alone again. He didn't want to be left alone. He couldn't be left alone.

"Ben, what's wrong?"

He wouldn't allow it.

He managed to pry his eyes from the deep lake and to the people around him. All three of them were now staring at him, their expressions riddled with concern. Ben noticed that his face had been made damp by tears that he had thought were just a memory, but he ignored their intrusion. All he cared about at that moment was saving his new family the way he couldn't all those years ago.

Ben shot up from his seat and shoved past Serena's parents, knocking them around on the small boat. He grabbed onto the paddles that were now left unattended, holding one with each hand. He frantically tried to paddle back to shore, but he only succeeded in rocking the boat to and fro.

"What are you doing?" said Serena's father in fear. He tried to take the paddles away from the boy, but Ben did his best to fight back. He was determined to save them, even if he wound up at the bottom of the lake. He tried his best to shake the man off, but he was bigger and stronger than himself. "You're going to tip us over!" He shouted at Ben, but he didn't listen. All he cared about was protecting his loved ones from the harsh waters.

The boat knocked from side to side as the two of them wrestled for the paddles, the man pleading Ben to stop. Out of his peripheral vision, Ben could see Serena and her mother huddled close together, both watching the feud with wide eyes. They finally realised the danger they were in on that lake. Ben fought harder for control on the paddles, but found it difficult with the constantly increasing turbulence.

Eventually, it seemed that the older man finally had the paddles to himself, but Ben wasn't ready to lose yet. He grabbed onto one of the paddles with both his hands and yanked as hard as he possibly could. Serena's father lost his grip on it and let go, sending Ben flying to the side of the boat with the paddle. He tried his best to balance himself, but the sudden change of weight placement caused to boat to tilt violently. He tried his best to grab onto something, anything, but he reacted too late.

The boat upturned, sending Ben into the water.

He thrashed his arms and legs around in attempt to stay afloat, but could do nothing to stop gravity from sending him on his long journey to the bottom of the deep lake. His head was already below the water by the time he thought to scream. His shouts were left muffled by the thick water, so all he accomplished was allowing the liquid to intrude his lungs faster. He tried his best to kick his legs and rise to the surface, but he continued to sink.

His lungs quickly begged for air, but he could do nothing to relieve the pain. He never realised how much he loved air until it was taken from him. While the rest of him sank, his vision began to swim, and he found that the pain in his chest was making him woozy.

He closed his eyes, waiting to meet his fate.

Ben didn't notice the arms that had grabbed onto him until they pulled him up above the water, filling his world with sound and colour once again.

Ben gasped heavily and coughed up the water that had gotten inside him, shaking uncontrollably. He was cold and wet and frightened, but he was also very alive. Once he stopped coughing, he looked up to see Serena's father holding him in his arms, keeping him safely above the water. He looked down on him with concerned and empathetic eyes. Behind him, Serena and her mother swam in place with ease, sharing the same expression. It seemed they didn't need his protection after all.

Tears began to escape from his eyes once again. He tried his best to stop them, to remain strong, but just couldn't handle the pressure. He quickly became wracked with uncontrollable chokes and sobs. He had nearly drowned, just as his mother did, and just as he feared his new family would.

Serena's father held him in a tight hug, holding him close. "It's okay. You're safe" he told Ben gently, rubbing his back soothingly.

_You're safe. You're safe. You're safe. _Ben told himself that over and over in his head. He couldn't stop shaking and crying. He tried his best to make himself believe it, but just couldn't seem to. He was still in the water.

He held onto his father tightly, letting his tears flow freely.


	5. Adventure

Chapter 5: Adventure

~Dear Ben,

Two years. It's been two whole years since I wrote that last letter. Two. Whole. Years. And do you know what the worst part is? At the end of that last letter, I promised I'd write again soon. I understand that time is subjective, but I'm pretty sure that _two years _does not qualify as 'soon'. I'm so, so sorry. I can't believe I ignored you for so long. I hope you're not mad at me. I'm already mad enough with myself as it is.

Since I last wrote, I've started high school. It's kinda like middle school, except the cafeteria food tastes slightly better and people are pretending that they're adults while they still act like children. You're not really missing out, since it's not much of an adventure, but I do feel more mature now. It seems so weird to me that we were only twelve when we last saw each other. It feels like so long ago since I was that young, but it also feels like just yesterday we were still one big family. Time can be so weird sometimes. It always goes by at the exact same speed, but certain moments seem to go faster or slower than others. I guess it's all about perspective.

Now that I think about it, not much has changed in my life since last time I wrote to you. I haven't been following the new Zelda games, but I heard that they made a new game that takes place in the ocean. I know Nintendo has no way of knowing about either of our lives, but it still seems like some sort of twisted tease. 'Oh, our biggest fan drowned? Let's fill the next game with water!' In all honesty, I don't know if the game is any good, but I think I'll skip it. After all, I still need to start playing Majora's Mask. I've been putting it off for way too long. I've just been procrastinating too much. I'll get to it soon. I'll talk to you later, ok?

Love, Serena~

X

It was a full moon that night. Ben knew this, for he spent a good portion of the day and night staring out his window. It was all he could do. Once he had been dragged home after the chaotic trip to the lake, he had hidden himself inside his room and refused to come out for anything. His mother was forced to bring his dinner to his room and set it on the nightstand. She had tried her absolute best to comfort him during her visit, but Ben ignored her. The meal still sat there, now cold as the water he sank into that day.

And, of course, Serena tried to apologise to him repetitively. She had told him, from the other side of his shut door, that she was sorry and that it was her fault that he fell into the water, since it was her idea to go to the lake in the first place. Ben ignored her as well. He wasn't angry at her; if anything, he was thankful that she was safe despite his irrational fears, but he just couldn't bring himself to speak to her. Eventually she left him alone, hopefully understanding that it was what he wanted instead of assuming something awful and untrue.

He had not heard a word from his father.

_This isn't the first time you've wanted to be alone, _he thought to himself, _and look where that got you. _Ben shook his head, trying to rid it of intrusive thoughts. _No, no, no_, he thought, _this is different_. He didn't want solitude this time. He just needed a day, maybe two, to cope with what had happened. He had experienced an event that not only put him in danger, but also reminded him of traumatic events from his past. He just needed to be alone for now because nobody would understand or be able to help him.

It had never come up exactly how he became an orphan. Ben wasn't sure if he could even call himself that, since his biological father was most likely still alive somewhere, but he had no other title. He didn't really feel like an orphan either, since he had come to see the Mori's as his own family. But none of them had any idea what he had gone through. They were likely very confused about what caused him to go off the deep end earlier that day, or at least figuratively so.

But still, they were there for him. Serena felt incredibly guilty about what happened, and his mother was very concerned about him. And his father had saved his life.

Ben sighed at the full moon. There was no way they could possibly understand, yet still they cared for him. Perhaps they really did love him. Even though his parents couldn't always express it, they cared about Ben and were there for him even when he pushed them away. They had no idea why he had become so distraught on the boat, yet they were all there to help and support him.

He had to admit, he felt horrible for pushing them away. Before, he would have loved seeing others miserable because of him. He couldn't believe he was once such a monster. The act of ruining the lives of others did not seem worth the thrill for him anymore. He knew he never wanted to be that person again. He knew that he would apologise to his family for his behavior. And most of all, he knew that they would be there to help him if he needed them, and that he would do the same for them.

He turned his back to the moon outside, and left his bedroom. He quietly padded down the hall until he found the room he was looking for. He gently rapped on the door. When he received no response, he knocked again.

"Yeah?" answered the groggy voice of a person who was just woken up.

"It's me," Ben answered quietly. He heard the sound of movement on the other side of the door before it finally opened, revealing the suddenly more alert Serena. He walked into her room and she closed the door, leaving the two alone together. "I'm sorry." Ben whispered.

Serena smiled gently. "It's alright. I'm just glad you're okay," And she meant it. Ben could tell; he knew her all too well. She wouldn't have said it if it weren't true.

Ben looked down on the floor. "Serena, can I tell you something?" She nodded, and she meant it. There was no backing out at this point. He had to tell her. It would be okay. She could help him. Ben waited for one, two, three long moments before he somehow gathered the courage to continue. He sucked in a breath.

"When I was little, I saw something happen to my mother..."

As he told the story, he carefully watched Serena's expression. It didn't take long for her innocent smile to disappear, and at moments she looked like she was about to cry, but she kept listening, hanging onto every word he said as if the story were the most important thing she would ever hear. When he finally finished telling his twisted adventure, he himself struggled to keep his tears at bay. He felt a soft hand rest on his shoulder.

"Don't worry," Serena told him, smiling through her own tears, "It's okay now."

And she meant it.

X

Things mostly went back to normal in the Mori household. In fact, many things only improved for the family. While Ben's parents still remained somewhat distance, as it seemed to be in their nature, there also seemed to be a sense of love between them. Serena's bond with her brother and dearest friend solidified, and the pair became almost inseparable. And they continued played the game. The two worked together to beat hard enemies and intricate puzzles in their favorite game, despite technically still playing it on their own.

Until one day, months later, something happened that they knew was possible, but never truly thought they would experience on their own.

Ben couldn't stop staring at the screen in front of him. His eyes were wide open and his jaw had dropped to the floor. Even after watching the entirety of the credits and the cut scenes after them, he could hardly believe what he was watching. "What just happened?" he asked.

He was answered by his sister, who was sitting right beside him the whole time, and had watched the whole ordeal. She wore the same expression as him. "I think you just beat the game." The screen in front of them slowly faded to sepia tone, and the words 'The End' appeared on the center of the screen. "Yeah, you definitely just beat the game." She confirmed herself. Ben couldn't pry his eyes away from the television. His journey, that had lasted him many months, had now come to an end.

"What happens now?" Ben asked. This was the first game he had ever played to completion, and he didn't really know the protocol for when the game is finished. Really, he never thought he would actually beat the game. He knew that it had an end, but just assumed that he would never live to see it.

"I guess... you play a different game?" Serena suggested. Ben shook his head solemnly.

"There's no way any other game will be as good as this..." he said sadly. Then, he thought for a moment. Then, he had an idea. Perhaps, since this game was so brilliant...

"Does this game have a sequel?" Ocarina of Time would be the perfect game for a sequel, Ben thought. The game was absolutely groundbreaking, and the world had so much left to explore and expand on. They could make the game even better, and they could create a new story based off of the somewhat open ending. Ben started to get himself excited. Why _wouldn't _there be a sequel?

Serena shook her head. "No, they haven't made one." Ben could practically hear the sound of his own bubble bursting. He slumped down, disappointed. Seeing his disappointment, she added "Don't worry. This isn't the first Zelda game ever made, and I'm sure it won't be the last," she said with a smile.

Ben sighed. "It probably won't hold up. No way it'll be as good," he frowned. Serena ignored Ben's sour mood and shrugged, her smile transforming into a bit of a smirk.

"Maybe it won't be as good, but we both know you'll play it anyways," she teased.

Ben glared at her, but couldn't hide his own smile trying to break free, "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Serena continued to smirk. "Nothing," she said innocently. Ben gave her an annoyed sigh, though he wasn't truly angry at all anymore.

"You're right. I'd play any other Zelda game I can get my hands on," then, he had another idea. "You don't have any others, do you? You know, some older ones that came before Ocarina?"

Serena shook her head. "Nope. We only have a Nintendo 64, and Ocarina is the only Zelda game for it." More bursting bubbles could be heard. Silence washed over the pair, Ben's returning grumpiness flooding the room. Neither of them knew what to say.

Finally, Serena spoke up. "So what are you going to do until the next game comes out?"

Ben thought about it for a moment. There were other games he could play, but none of them would be the adventure that this one was. He could find something else to do in his spare time, but video games were all he really knew that was considered normal for children his age. Before he played them, he had nothing. He was barely a child at all.

Ben scooted from the couch to the floor and approached the console. Without hesitating, he pressed the reset button.

"Looks like it's time for round two," he said determinedly, ready to go on an adventure.

X

Ben shoved his hands in his pockets, mentally cursing himself for not bringing gloves to school with him. Or a winter jacket, for that matter. During his classes, snow had begun to fall fiercely, covering the land with pure-white snow that briefly sparkled in the sunlight before the grey snow clouds covered the sky. This brought joy for many of his classmates, for the sudden increase of snow meant building armies of snowmen, pillaging others with snowballs, and most importantly, the possibility of school being cancelled the next day. But for Ben, who had never been an outdoorsy person, it only meant an unwanted blast of pure winter force he would need to face once he stepped out of the bus.

Seated next to him, Serena hugged her backpack close to her body as she looked out the window, staring at the world outside the bus that had been blanketed with chilling ice. Snow continued to fly downwards with the harsh wind, uncaring of what it would come in contact with. "We're going to have to go into that, aren't we?" Ben nodded solemnly, knowing that there was no way the snowstorm would let up anytime soon.

Serena frowned. "This is better not ruin everything," she muttered silently to herself, only just barely loud enough for Ben to hear.

Ben raised a brow. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

A sudden blush covered Serena's face as her eyes widened. "Did I say that out loud?" she asked, and Ben nodded. Her blush deepened, and she shook her head fast. "Just forget about it."

Ben looked over at his sister darkly. "You know how much I hate secrets," he said to her. Serena clutched her backpack tighter and looked down at the muddied floor.

"I know, but, well, you see..." she trailed off, noticing that the bus had stopped in front of the pathway to their house. "Oh look, we're home!" she exclaimed, a bit too happily.

Quickly, she grabbed Ben's arm and rushed out of the bus, the pair receiving an angered shout from the bus driver. They ran up the icy pathway as fast as they could without slipping and falling. By the time they made it inside the warm home, they were covered in tiny white crystals that glimmered as they melted under the house's lights.

Ben brushed the snow off of himself, though his mind was still focused on the previous conversation. "What was it that you said was ruined?" he asked.

Serena looked down at the ground and shifted her feet. "Well, it's not _ruined,_ per se, but the weather kinda made today a bit of a downer, so..." she trailed off again. Ben glared at her intensely.

"What are you _talking _about?!" he shouted at her. He could feel his temper rising fast. He knew that he should remain calm, that he had no reason to be angry, but he couldn't control himself. Serena studied the floor closely, never meeting his gaze.

"I'm not supposed to tell you until our parents get home," she said quietly. Ben noticed how uncomfortable she looked, and tried his best to withhold anger. However, his curiosity had been stirred, and he simply could not allow the subject to drop.

"Tell me what?" he asked, more calmly this time.

Serena remained quiet for several moments before she finally sighed in resignation. "I guess I've lost, haven't I?" she said. "Sit over there. I'll be right back," she pointed to the sofa in the living room before she started towards her bedroom down the hallway. Ben felt a cloud of shame engulf him, the realisation of his behavior finally setting in.

"Wait!" he called out to her suddenly. She stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked back at him. "I'm sorry..."

Serena gave him a warm smile. "Don't worry about it. You were going to find out soon anyways. Might as well be now," she said before ducking into her bedroom.

Ben just stood there. _Why must she always be so optimistic? _He thought this to himself before sitting down on the living room's plush sofa and waiting for Serena to return.

He could feel his own curiosity trying to burst out of his body. Before that day, he had no clue that anything had been happening behind his back. Then again, he had not been overly observant as of late, as he became more and more consumed by his favorite game. He had become determined to find every secret and collectable hidden within the game, down to the very last green rupee. He wasn't sure if he could actually achieve this, but he loved the game so much that he didn't really care. He really played the game so he could escape from reality; pretend he was on an epic quest to save Hyrule and Princess Zelda. He loved the feeling of being a hero almost as much as he loved the girl who introduced it to him.

When Serena emerged into the living room, he noticed right away that both her hands were hidden behind her back. He tried to look around her and see what she was hiding, but it was no use.

"Like I said earlier, I wasn't supposed to say anything until our parents got home, but I guess you're just too clever for me," she winked at him, and Ben smirked back at her. He was glad to see she wasn't mad at him at all for ruining the surprise.

"This was actually supposed to be a Christmas present, but I convinced Mom and Dad that you should get it right away," she continued. "So don't be surprised if you don't get anything from me on Christmas day, alright?" Ben nodded. So she was giving him a present? He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but that took him for surprise. He didn't usually get a lot of gifts. He had never been extremely spoiled in his lifetime.

Serena thought for a moment before continuing. "Okay, close your eyes and put out your hands." Ben did so, and soon after he felt something small being placed into his palms. It felt a bit warm, most likely from Serena holding it. He felt the item in his hands, his eyes still closed, feeling every seam on the flat object. The shape felt familiar, though he didn't want to jump to conclusions.

He heard a girlish giggle. "You can open your eyes now," she said. He did, and he looked down at his hands, now truly able to see what his gift was.

The object was one he had come to know very well over his few years living with the Mori family: a flat, rectangular thing with an outwards curve on top. A Nintendo 64 cartridge, though this one seemed much less worn and used than the ones in the basement. The cartridge itself was nothing special, but the label plastered in the middle drew his attention. The sticker showed a familiar boy in a green tunic slashing his sword. Above him floated an image of an unsettling mask. Beside the mask was the game's title, 'The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask'.

"Is... is this...?" Ben searched every part of his mind for the right words, but they were lost to him. He felt completely dumbfounded. He had been under the belief that there were no other Zelda games for the Nintendo 64. That was what Serena had told him. Had she lied?

As if his own mind was answering him, he suddenly remembered what his sister had told him. '_This isn't the first Zelda game ever made, and I'm sure it won't be the last'. _She had told him that after he had first beaten Ocarina of Time. This new game must have come out without him even knowing, and Serena had kept the new adventure a secret in order to surprise him.

"Sorry it's not wrapped. I don't really know how to do it myself." Serena interrupted his thought. Ben looked up to see that she wore a shy smile and blush on her face. Her brown eyes were studying him carefully, trying to read his reaction to the gift.

Ben looked into her eyes, and quietly he said with a small smile, "Thank you so much, Serena. Thank you for everything."


	6. Broken

Chapter 6: Broken

~Dear Ben,

Hey, guess who just got her very own driver's licence! That's right, now I can drive wherever I want without any supervision. Well, at least according to the law. Dad still won't let me go driving alone. He's been so overprotective since you and mom left. I guess that makes sense, but I'm almost an adult now. You'd think he'd let me off my leash once in a while. I'm not twelve anymore. I can take care of myself. But even though he may smother me a bit, I still love him. I know he's just scared of me getting hurt again. I have to admit, part of me really enjoys overprotective Dad. You and I both know how distant our parents used to be. Now that Dad's taken more time to be with me, I can't help but feel more appreciated. I guess limited freedom is worth all this affection.

Oh, and there's another thing I wanted to talk about. Well, not actually talk, since this is a letter, but you get the idea. A few days ago at school I mentioned you to one of my friends. I'm not even sure how you came up in the conversation, but you did. I told her about how I write to you sometimes when I feel lonely. She told me that it's weird, and that I should just get over you. I never once thought before now that what I'm doing is 'weird'. It's not like I haven't gotten over you, either. I've accepted the fact that you're gone long ago, and I'm living my life just like anyone else does. I write these letters to let you know that I still think about you. Is it really that weird to miss your loved ones?

But it's not like you'll ever read these letters or anything. Not unless you somehow managed to come back, but I don't really believe in that sort of stuff. Things like angels and ghosts and magic only exist in fairy tales and urban legends. So I guess I'm writing these purely for myself. I admit these letters make me feel better after I write them. Maybe I'm not completely over you. But I don't feel sad or grief-ridden. I don't know what to think anymore.

How do you know if something is wrong when it only feels right?

Love, Serena~

X

There was a time where Ben considered Ocarina of Time to be the best game ever made. And he would be lying if he said it didn't still have a special place in his heart. It was the first game he ever played, and the first one that ever fully enraptured him and took him on his own adventure. Before he played the game, he was nothing more than a shell of a child that felt it necessary to make others miserable and depressed. The game offered him a place to escape, a place where he could be a hero instead of a villain. It was that form of escapism along with much selfless love and support from Serena that helped transform him from that hollow entity into a young boy who would risk anything for those he loved most.

But Majora's Mask changed all that.

It was very much like Ocarina of Time. It looked the same, sounded the same, and at times even felt the same. But there was one difference that made the new game seem so special to the boy. The boy who, despite changing so dramatically over the years, was still the same child that came from a broken home, watched his mother commit suicide, and shut himself out from the world for years afterwards.

The game was beautiful. There was nothing Ben didn't love immediately when playing the game. While Ocarina of Time was an epic adventure, Majora's Mask was sad and solemn and stunning from the moment it began. While he still felt like a hero, there was a constant fear that he would not be able to save the world and the people that he met caused by the looming moon and steadily moving timer. Ocarina was great to escape from reality, but the stakes never felt quite as high. If Ben died, he could just restart at the last save point. In Majora's Mask, the threat of death was always lurking close by. He could also meet and interact with all the people in Clock Town, getting to know them and see their lives and knowing that there's a possibility he won't be able to save them in time.

Unfortunately, Serena didn't share the same opinion as him. She refused to play Majora's Mask on account of not fully completing Ocarina of Time herself yet, but would occasionally watch Ben play through the sombre sequel. And, despite how much Ben tried to convey the game's magnificence, she could never understand.

"It has the exact same controls," she argued once. "It plays exactly the same. I don't really see what makes it so much better."

Ben smirked at her. "Maybe you should actually look at the screen instead of the controller, then." Serena swatted him in the back of the head playfully, rolling her eyes at her insolent brother. "Hey!" Ben yelped at the unexpected attack, but his attention was still aimed towards more pressing topics.

"You know that's not what I meant." Serena stated, "I'm just saying that they pretty much just remade the game." Ben thought for a moment, trying to find a way to explain just what made the game special to him.

In the game, he switched to the first person view and directed the camera towards the sky. "That's what makes this game so different," he gestured to the screen theatrically.

Serena narrowed her eyes slightly. "The moon? How would that change the game?"

Now it was Ben's turn to roll his eyes. "It changes _everything_. If you don't awaken the four giants in three days, that moon will crash. Everyone in Termina, including you, will die a terrible death, and then Majora wins. These people you see walking around, just trying to live their day? All dead, unless you do something _right now._"

Serena pondered on Ben's words for a moment before nodding at him in assumed understanding. "Cool. That's a pretty neat game mechanic." Ben groaned dramatically. Serena blushed, her smile becoming somewhat coy. "I guess that's not what you were trying to get across." Ben shook his head.

"No. No it was not," he replied. "But I don't think you'd get it if I just explained it to you. You need to experience it for yourself," he hinted not-so-subtly.

Serena smiled back at him. "Nice try, Ben. We've been over this before. Majora's Mask is _your _game. Not mine. I'm not going to go and hog it from you."

Ben slumped down in his seat. It didn't seem fair. He was having one of the most amazing experiences of his entire life, and the one person he wanted to share it with wouldn't even consider it. "You're too nice," he muttered.

Serena smiled. "Yeah, I've been told that before," she said, oblivious to the turmoil she was causing her brother. "But honestly, I don't think I'd like it as much as you anyways."

Ben raised a brow. "Why not?

Serena tilted her head, searching her mind for an appropriate explanation. "It's relatable to you. The game, I mean. All this thematic stuff with the sad undertones and the subtle emotions is pretty much 'you'. It appeals to you because you know what it's like to feel that. It's..." She paused, looking for the word, "nostalgic for you. But not for me. I wouldn't get it."

Ben pouted. "Yeah, I guess..." but he didn't want to believe it. He wanted her to be just as happy as she made him, but it didn't seem like that was possible. She deserved the best, yet received nothing. Ben was a wreck before he met her, and now she wouldn't even accept his offer to play his game. It was, at the best, incredibly frustrating for him. Even if she wouldn't like Majora's Mask as much as him, she still deserved something from him. She would just invent excuses to refuse what little possessions he could offer. There was nothing he could do. He had nothing that she wanted.

But what if he could get something she wanted?

Ben resisted the urge to groan at his own ignorance, for the solution now seemed incredibly obvious to him. However, he failed to hide a giant grin that broke out across his face. This idea, this simple, perfect idea, was the key to solving the problem that plagued him. He could show Serena a small portion of all the joy she gave to him, and she would feel no guilt for accepting the display of affection.

"Hey, why are you so happy?" Serena asked him. He simply grinned to himself, marveling at his perfect plan.

"Nothing," he said, but his grin widened. He couldn't control it. He knew exactly what to do. There was no way it could possibly go wrong. His plan was completely foolproof. Soon, Serena would see just a fraction of how much he cared for her, which was more than he had ever hoped to achieve.

Serena smirked back at him. "Huh. You'd think that somebody who hates lies would try to avoid it," she laughed to herself. "You can't even follow your own rules."

X

Upon further investigation, Ben later decided that his plan was not quite as genius as he originally thought. In fact, it was so obvious that anyone would be able to come up with it. If Ben was only the slightest bit improved at selflessness, he probably would've thought of it years ago. But since blatant displays of affection were never quite his forte, he decided to call his plan perfect anyways. Besides, just because the plan was simple and obvious didn't make it any less perfect.

It was actually one of the simplest things a person can do for a loved one. Ben was to give Serena a present. Only, it wouldn't just be any present. He had seen some of his classmates with a certain item at school, and both he and Serena became instantly jealous of whoever owned it. However, neither of them was able to get the item in question, since money wasn't the easiest thing for two twelve year olds to come across, or at least in large quantities. But if Ben could find a way to get the gift, Serena would surely love it. And since the gift would technically be hers, she would have no excuse not to accept it.

But before he could even think of that, Ben needed to find some money. So, when he was certain that Serena was not within earshot, he tracked down their father, who was reading silently in the study, and asked him a simple question.

"Can I have a job?" he asked him.

His Dad raised a brow, peering at Ben past the thick book in his hands. "Why would you want a job?" he asked.

Ben shoved his hands in his pockets. "Reasons."

The book was placed down onto a table. "What kind of reasons," his voice remained level, though part of its tone revealed a hidden trace of amusement.

Ben studied the carpet. "...You know... reasons..." the carpet was fairly clean. There were no obvious traces of dirt. It must have been vacuumed recently.

His Dad couldn't help but resist a small chuckle. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm following you right now."

Ben sighed. He was hoping to keep his plan a secret, but it seemed like that wouldn't come to fruition. "... I want to get Serena a present. I need money," The carpet was a very heavenly shade of brown. It suited the color scheme of the rest of the study fairly well. It wasn't dull, but it didn't strain his eyes, either.

His father's voice broke his concentration on the floor. "That's great. I'm glad you're thinking of your sister. But there's something I think you're forgetting." His voice was gentle yet also academic, like a teacher that refused to raise his voice as he scolded his students. Ben looked up to see his face.

"What is it?" In a brief moment of horror, he worried that there had been an oversight in his seemingly simple plan.

His father looked him square in the eye. "Ben, I know you love this family very much, and we all love you too. But you also hate people."

Ben's eyes widened in shock of his sudden bluntness. "_What? _I don't hate people!" he whined. His father gave him a stern look that seemed to say _yes you do._

"Then tell me, Ben, have you ever had a friend other than Serena?" Ben didn't even have to think, he already knew the answer. He looked down at the floor, now glaring at it as if the plush carpet was the cause of his problems.

"I don't need anyone..." Ben muttered. He could see his father nodding his head in the corners of his vision. Neither of them needed to say anything, they both know who was right. Ben tried his best to ignore the current situation, now studying every fine detail of the carpet hat he could see. The texture appeared reasonably soft, but not incredibly so.

Eventually, his father broke the awkward silence that filled the room. "Ben, we both know you'd be miserable working with others," he said, but the true meaning of the words lingered in the air. No, Ben would not be getting a job. It was final. Ben could already feel his heart beginning to break. "However," he added, "Since you're doing this for Serena, I think it's fair that I help you. I'll give you money if you help out around the house. Does that sound okay?"

The carpet suddenly became incredibly boring to him, and Ben peeled his eyes back to his father. He felt a joyous grin spread across his face, unable to contain his glee and relief. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he said, and before either of them knew it Ben had embraced his father in a warm hug, which was returned in kind. For that brief moment, the two felt a unique form of bonding spark between them, something that was incredibly rare for the pair but also very special and valued.

When the embrace inevitably ended, Ben's father returned to his parental demeanor. "You realize that you'll still need to work for the money." It wasn't a question, but Ben still nodded enthusiastically. "And you'll need to work a lot if you want something more expensive." Again Ben nodded.

His father smiled. "Great. I'm glad we've made an agreement." He then reached over to the book that he had put down earlier, considering their conversation over. However, there was one more thing that Ben needed to be sure of.

"Dad, can you do me a favor?" He looked over at the boy and gave a small nod. Ben quieted his voice, as if doing so now would stop anyone from hearing their previous conversation. "Can you keep this a secret?" he asked. "I want it to be a surprise." Once again he nodded, not saying anything but his eyes filled with understanding.

"Thank you," Ben said softly, and then leaved his father's study, feeling as if he somehow gained more than what he asked for.

X

Ben sat nonchalantly on the living room sofa, watching closely as Serena and his mother stood near the front door shuffling on their jackets and shoes. He struggled not to act too invested, but he couldn't resist counting every moment the pair remained in the house. Every instant they were in his presence felt like agony, yet he kept on pretending that it was just another normal day for everyone. He studied everything in the room other than the two girls.

Although they were completely clueless, this was the very day that he had spent months upon months planning and preparing for. He had spent all that time secretly completing odd jobs for his Dad and saving up money to buy a certain gift for a certain sister of his. All the necessary cash had been saved up for a while, and for weeks he was forced to simply wait for a way to sneak out of the house without his absence being noticed. But now that the two were leaving the house, Ben's plan could finally become a reality. Unfortunately, that required the two to actually _leave, _an event that was slowly becoming more and more implausible.

"So how long are you going to be gone for?" Ben asked, trying to sound as casual as possible as to not rouse suspicion. Although he was very skilled at causing mischief, his skills at lying, as Serena informed him many times, were terrible. Though hopefully, since he wasn't as much lying as retaining information, his perfect plan would still be successful. After all, he had managed to keep his secret so far.

"Just for a few hours," his Mom said. "We'll definitely be back before evening. We just wanted to meet up for a little bit. Just a casual get-together." A couple days before, she had met with one of her old friends. The two agreed meet up in order to catch up on all the years they were separated. Always excited to meet new people, Serena decided to join her mother for the trip. Recognizing a great opportunity when it presented itself, both Ben and his father decided to stay at home. Or at least that was what they claimed.

Ben nodded. "Alright. See you later," he said, trying almost too hard to sound uninterested in them, but simultaneously trying to usher them to leave quickly. He was growing increasingly impatient with every passing second, and there were things that still needed to be done.

His father, who was standing next to the front door, addressed the two girls. "You two have lots of fun, alright?" His wife nodded to him elegantly, while his daughter beamed with her typical uncontained joy.

"You too, Dad!" she exclaimed, gifting her father a warm hug. When she let go, she turned towards the living room and waved at the irritated boy. "See you later, Ben!" she called, and he replied with a small smile and wave, still trying and failing to act somewhat bored as he lounged on the sofa.

At long last, the two parted from the household. Ben blatantly avoided watching the car pull out of the driveway and follow the road directing to town. He and his father stayed perfectly still, waiting one, two, three long moments to be certain the girls were truly gone. When it seemed that they were deserted, Ben jumped up from his seat, breaking his mask of indifference and letting his true excitement show.

"Alright, let's go!" he said to his father, who also appeared to be excited, though his joy was more a result of Ben's own happiness.

Within seconds they were out the door and on their way towards town. The ride itself somehow felt like seconds compared to the time it took for Serena and her mother to leave. It was as if time itself had been slowed down to a near halt and then rapidly sped up to make up for the error. Within only moments, they had reached their destination, and Ben was scouring the various aisles of a store, searching for the certain item he had been saving for. Unfortunately, it seemed as though the gift wanted to remain hidden.

But, just when it seemed as though the item had never existed and all hope had nearly died, Ben noticed something in the corner of his vision. A small box, easily able to be held in one hand, was placed along the aisle along with the other technological merchandise being sold at the store. The box showed a small rectangular device with a blue casing, and a screen on the top that displayed multihued text that simply read 'Game Boy' and 'Nintendo' written underneath it. Ben picked up the box, inspecting it as if to see if it was actually real and not some broken or bootlegged version. When he finished pretending to know how to tell the difference, he found himself smiling openly.

It was exactly what he wanted.

He eyed the price and recounted his money, hoping that he brought enough to pay for the device. His eyes widened when he found out just how much more money he had compared to what he needed.

"Did you find what you wanted?" his father asked him. Knowing very little about gaming or technology in general, he chose to simply hang back and leave his son to his own devices.

"Yeah," Ben replied, "Give me a second." Since he had more than enough money, he could also get something to go along with the present. Ben didn't bother to hide his smile. He practically skipped over to where he saw the Game Boy Color games. Looking at the prices, he saw that he could afford to also purchase one game. He searched the wall of games, looking for the one that cried 'Serena' and 'I love you'.

It was that very mindset that caused him to notice the game. Blue was Serena's favorite color, which was the color plastered on the majority of the box. But it wasn't until he actually read the title of the game that he knew how absolutely perfect the game was for her. The box showed an all too familiar boy in green holding some sort of colorful rounded lyre. Underneath him floated the title 'The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages'.

"Everything alright over there?" his father asked, as if there was an invisible barrier preventing him from entering the aisle. Ben, now more upbeat than ever, found himself chuckling at his Dad's odd tendencies.

"Coming!" Ben yelled, snatching the game from the wall and meeting up with his father. He had, once again, gained more than what he asked for.

X

The girls still weren't home when they came back, as they expected. Ben took the time to hide the presents underneath his bed. When Serena came home, he would tell her to sit and wait on the living room couch, just as she once did to him, and he would give her the game and handheld console. She would take one look at it and be happier than she had ever been in her life. Ben knew just how much she wanted a Game Boy Color, and how she loved Legend of Zelda just as much as he did, if not more. She would thank him and call him the best brother ever and she would finally understand just how much he loved her.

When the gifts were appropriately hidden, he began to gaze outside, searching for any signs of a car driving by. He couldn't wait for Serena to arrive!

As it turns out, he would need to.

X

Ben flipped through some old books he had found lying around. He would read the first few pages, and then the last few, and then try to guess what the story was about. It was a game that he created out of boredom, and it did not entertain him as much as he hoped it would.

He didn't expect Serena and his Mom to take so long. He was constantly debating whether or not to leave his post and go back to his game where he could be a hero, but he wanted more to be with Serena. He could be a hero in real life. But as it turned out, being a hero wasn't as fun as he thought it would be.

X

Ben was back to looking out the window. The sun was beginning to set, embracing the world in one last peaceful glow before making way for the ghostly moon. There was still no sign of the girls. Each minute stretched out, each one feeling like its own individual eternity. But Ben stayed by the window, hoping that every shadow would be his mother and sister.

And although he'd hate to admit it, there was a part was frightened. Over and over again he repeated to himself in his head that they were safe would be coming home any minute. Unfortunately, the part of him that was scared also didn't believe that.

X

Tiny pinpricks of sparkling light slowly began to cover the blanket of darkness that was the night sky. Ben's mind became a broken record, constantly repeating 'they're safe, they're safe, they're safe' as if it would change the truth. He didn't even care about the present anymore. He just wanted his family to be together again.

X

Ben tried to tell himself that he wasn't giving up. He tried to tell himself that he had simply gotten bored with waiting. He tried to tell himself that there were things he still needed to accomplish in Majora's Mask. After all, he only needed to awaken one more giant, and then he could fight Majora and finally beat the game.

But he wasn't really doing anything. He couldn't find the motivation he needed to carry out his quest. All he could think about was the fact that there were only two people inside the household instead of the usual four. All he could manage to accomplish was wandering aimlessly around Ikana, using his newly learned song to randomly warp Elegy statues wherever he stood, and constantly moving his four soulless soldiers around the dead canyon. It was mindless and served no purpose whatsoever, but it was all he had. Everything else was loneliness.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

The sound of rapping was too distant to originating coming from the basement door. Immediately all the sadness and fear that plagued Ben washed away, as if caught by a strong tide. He immediately abandoned his game and bounded up the stairs with overwhelming relief. He dashed straight for the front door where Serena and his mother would be waiting, and he could finally show his sister how much he cared about her.

But they weren't at the door.

His father had already answered the door when Ben arrived, and standing outside was one lone police officer. The man wore a stony expression on his face, making sure to appear professional as he did his duty. His father was blatantly trying to bear the same expression, but it was broken by a trail of tears running from his eyes.

The officer was saying something, but Ben didn't bother listening. In just one look at the scene, he knew everything that he needed to know. Nothing mattered anymore. Everything he feared had come true.


	7. Hero

Chapter 7: Hero

~Dear Ben,

Remember when I last wrote, I was talking about how one of my friends thought it was weird that I write to you? Well, it turns out that she isn't the only one with that opinion. Honestly, I thought Dad knew about it. And even if I didn't think he knew, I had no reason to bring it up. It's not like I write to you every day. I mean, it's been half a decade and there are only five letters. Ok, six if you count the first one where I didn't know just how gone you were and said all those nasty things. And then there's this one, which makes seven. But still, that's not a lot of letters. But I guess that must seem like a lot when you see them all together hidden in your daughter's dresser drawer. Oh, did I mention that he was _snooping through my stuff? _Why would he even do that? I thought he and I were a team, but apparently he can't trust me. Besides, I'm nearly an adult! What I do on my own is none of his business. Ever since the accident, he's been watching over me like he's got nothing better to do, and boy am I sick and tired of it.

Sorry, I got off topic. I think I might be going through some sort of phase where I need do complain about everything. So, anyways, Dad found the letters in my dresser drawer, and he wasn't very pleased about what I wrote about. Or, more accurately, _who_ I was writing to. Dad said that it wasn't healthy to pretend that you're still with us, that I needed to let go. I told him exactly what I wrote about in the last letter: that I was over you, and just write to make myself feel better and like you're not being left out. But Dad would have none of it. As of today, I am officially banished from writing to you, my dearest brother who I love so very much. I promised him I'd stop as long as he let me keep the letters. He agreed, and now the letters are back home in my dresser drawer. And then I grabbed another piece of paper and a pen and started writing this.

I'll admit, I feel awful for lying, especially to my own father. He was just trying to do what he thought was protecting me. But I'm not a child anymore. If I want to write to you, I have every right to do it. He doesn't need to control me anymore. I don't need him or anyone to be a hero for me.

Except for you, of course. You'll always be my hero.

Love, Serena~

X

The other driver was going to be alright.

For some reason, this offered little comfort to the grieving boy.

Ben was at Serena's bedside from the moment he could, and had no intentions of leaving. She had been placed in a room of blindingly white sterile walls where various machines connected to her battered body. Ben squeezed her limp hand tightly, hoping that he would eventually feel her squeeze back, but that never came to be. She was somewhere far, far away from that hospital room. Ben could only wish he could be there with her.

The girl, who was only hours ago was so filled with life and vigour, now lay in a tidy white bed connected to devices that made peculiar noises that kept her alive. The crash had not killed her, thank god, but it had not been kind to her either. She was put in a comatose state due to the trauma inflicted to the head. The doctors assured Ben that she would awaken eventually, possibly even a few weeks. She would also have no long-term side effects other than a large scar that now ran across her forehead. She would be fine, he had been told. Perfectly fine.

But Ben was not easily fooled. He was not as naïve as the doctors assumed. He knew that her chances of waking lessened with each passing moment. If she failed to regain consciousness within a few weeks, it was very plausible that she would never awaken at all.

Ben squeezed her hand tighter.

_Please wake up soon, _Ben thought. _Don't leave me alone._

The poor girl looked dismal. She was covered in scratches and bruises throughout her entire body, but the worst injury by far was the blow she took to the head. Her entire forehead was bandaged heavily, though Ben knew for sure that if he were to remove the binding he would see a disturbing amount of fresh red liquid. Her dark brown hair was now dishevelled and dirty. Ben reached out with his hand and smoothed part of it.

She didn't deserve this. She was an angel. She was perfect. She was who guided Ben into the light when he knew nothing but darkness. She was his hero. She saved him, taught him how to be a normal child when such a thing seemed so out of reach. And before he could even show his thanks, this had to happen.

Feeling his eyes begin to sting, he clenched them shut. He would not cry. He needed to remain strong. Even if he couldn't be there to save her, he could at least have courage. He refused to let himself be destroyed by this. The two of them would both make it of this mess alive, even if it didn't seem so easy. After all, if his video games had taught him anything over the years, it was to stay courageous, even when all hope seems lost.

He fastened his eyes shut for one, two, three excruciatingly long minutes until their stinging began to die down. When he was sure that the threat of tears had subsided, he only then dared to open his eyes again. His eyes met with the same scene they saw before: Serena lying comatose in a hospital room battered and bruised. Ben wanted nothing more than to leave the sad scene and pretend that everything was still okay, but he refused to. He was not a coward.

He was not like their father.

He refused to even visit Serena. He originally claimed that he would, but he gave up as he approached her hospital room. The man had tears flowing down his face since he first heard the news of the crash. Ben couldn't believe it. Shouldn't he at least try to stay strong for his only daughter?

But then again, not everyone can be a hero. Sometimes people need to step back and let others take control. Ben understood that. But if their father wasn't going to play the hero, then the responsibility fell upon himself. Ben also understood that it was what he needed to do. He accepted the responsibility, though he wished he could cry as well.

Ben still held onto his sister's limp hand. She seemed so helpless now. Whether or not she would awaken from her coma was completely dependent on fate. Ben realised that he hated the very concept of fate. It took control of people's lives, bringing all hopes and dreams crashing to the ground. It was a terrible thing, to have your life in the hands of something so unseen and unheard.

And one of the worst things about the situation was not about Serena's injuries or Ben having to shun his fears or their father's cowardice. It was something that felt so heart-crushingly familiar to the boy that it made ancient memories surface in his mind. Old, horrible memories of being a scared little toddler, crying on a bridge in the pouring rain.

Serena had been the luckier of the two women in that car.

Ben couldn't stop looking at the broken girl. He knew that soon a body would need to be buried. He wasn't sure if he could bear it. Seeing his sister injured he could handle. There was still a slim chance that she would wake up and they could go back to their normal lives. But there was no recovering from death. Ben knew that better than most twelve-year-old boys. A chapter in his life had ended. Again, his mother was gone.

Finally, Ben forced himself to let go of his sister's hand. As much as he would have loved to stay by her side for every moment until her eyes opened again, he knew such a thing couldn't be. He needed to leave eventually. And, as much as it pained him to admit it, part of him didn't want to stay in that cold, sterile room for much longer. It hurt him too much.

"I'm so sorry," Ben whispered, hoping his words would not fall upon deaf ears. He hesitantly rose from his sister's bedside and walked towards the door. Before leaving, he risked one last glance towards the girl. He prayed that he would see her looking back at him, smiling just like she always did, and telling him that everything was going to be okay. The two of them would embrace, and they would all go home and everything would be okay again.

But she simply lied there, tucked underneath the thin white blankets, forever sleeping. Ben turned the door handle and exited, leaving her to whatever cruel fate most desired.

X

Cynthia S. Mori was truly an amazing woman. Since she was young, she dedicated her entire life to helping those who were in need, and achieved this by eventually becoming an emergency physician. Throughout her short career, she saved countless lives, including the man who would eventually become her husband. Much of her life was dedicated to her work, though she always made sure to make time for her family when they really needed her. There was not a person who met her that did not see her as absolutely incredible. Such kind and gracious people are truly a rarity in this world.

Her passing was a shock to everyone. She had fallen victim of a tragic car accident along with her only daughter on the way back home from visiting an old friend, ending her life swiftly. By the time paramedics arrived, she was already gone. They only barely managed to save her daughter, who luckily did not receive the full force of the impact. While the woman had but a handful of close and trustworthy friends due to her timid nature, all who truly knew her plunged into deep mourning when the news reached their ears.

The funeral was held off for as long as possible in hopes that Serena would awaken to attend it herself. But as the days turned into weeks, the decision was eventually made to hold the funeral without her. Besides, the young girl would have enough to cope with on her own. Forcing her to attend her own mother's funeral right after she woke from a coma would be unfortunate and cruel.

The reception was small yet elegant, suiting the deceased perfectly. If she were there, she would have been amazed by just how many lives she had touched and wished to say one last goodbye. Even some of her old patients managed to visit the funeral. Though it is a good thing that she was not actually present, for she would have hated to see her loved ones so grief-ridden. Throughout the entire funeral, her husband could barely keep his tears at bay. Many who arrived offered the man their condolences, though they offered him little comfort.

And another who she would have hated to witness that day was the young boy she had come to consider her own son. The boy spent most of the funeral moping in the corner while trying and failing to act like he wasn't moping at all. He watched as the other people mingled, speaking fondly about the deceased and offering one another solace. He spoke not a word throughout the entire funeral, and none spoke to him. It was as if they were afraid of the boy, or perhaps the other way around.

Before then, Ben never realised just how different he was compared to the rest of the Mori family. Until that day, he had never met any of the extended family, as his mother and father were both rather withdrawn people, focusing more on their work than socializing with others. But here, it was easy to tell who was related to his adoptive mother. It was all in the subtle features. The hair, the skin, the eyes, the figure, it all seemed somewhat similar throughout the family. In hindsight, Ben could also see a strong resemblance between Serena and her late mother. But Ben was different. He stood out from the rest of the family with his golden blond hair, ocean blue eyes, and lethargic expression. He was an alien.

The boy was tired. He wanted nothing more than to just go home, but he knew he needed to be there. Much like he needed to stay strong for Serena, he also needed to stay strong for his mother. She would have hated it if he were to turn himself into an emotional wreck over her. She was a woman who only wanted to spread happiness to others. To be anything less than that due to her absence would be a disgrace.

Ben hardly paid attention to the ceremony itself. One by one, dear strangers gave their eulogies, emphasizing what a true saint Cynthia Mori was and how her loved ones should cherish the memories they had with her. They all seemed to blend together, their words saying the same sweet nothings over and over, on and on, as if it would make anything better. She was gone, and nothing could fix that. And eventually her daughter would be gone as well, embraced by either death or a strange limbo hovering between living and dying.

Ben wondered if one of them was any better than the other.

Ben wondered if it even mattered.

Soon Ben ignored his surroundings completely, instead choosing to stare at the metallic urn placed decoratively as the centerpiece of a decorated table. It seemed so simple, like it was just any other vase engraved with simple and delicate patterns. It was hard to believe that inside it was what used to be his mother, the remains of her body burnt to ash. It seemed so twisted, how something so disturbing as a human corpse could be incinerated and crammed into a jar, and then suddenly it was acceptable to display to everyone as a work of art. The urn was so beautiful, yet it was a vessel of death.

Ben wondered where she was. Not her body, but her spirit. Never being very religious, he had no real clue what happened to a soul after death. Was she watching her own funeral from the clouds in heaven? Or perhaps she still wandered the earth as a ghost, trying desperately to make contact with her loved ones but failing miserably, forced into eternal solitude. Or was she wrapped in a blanket of absolute nothingness, the same nothingness people experience before they are first conceived. Maybe she was reborn, starting a new life. Or maybe she was alone somewhere far, far away, a place incomprehensible to the living, waiting for when her daughter would finally join her in eternal rest.

But more than anything, Ben wondered if she was happier now. Now she was away from all the pain and misery in this cold, unforgiving world that didn't deserve her light. This world offered nothing but agony to all who lived. Whenever fate decided to be kind and offer some form of happiness or refuge, it would quickly take it away and leave every poor soul emptier inside than they ever were before. The world was a cruel place, and he hoped that his mother was somewhere better. Somewhere away from all the hurt.

And meanwhile, Serena was still in a hospital room, clinging onto life. Would she wake up soon, or would he and his father eventually be forced to make the decision to let her go? He wondered, briefly, if she was in any sort of pain while in a coma. Could she still dream of worlds better than the one she was cursed into, or was she allowed to drift in blissful nothingness? When Ben truly thought about it, neither of those two circumstances seemed entirely bad.

Ben wanted to be the hero. He wanted to be there for his sister, sitting by her bedside as her eyes fluttered open. But would that really be heroic of him, to allow her admission to a world filled with such sorrow and loss? Maybe she would be happier if she was with her mother, away from all the evils of the world.

If Ben were in the same circumstance, he was certain he would be happier.

"Ben?" a voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked up to see his father, wearing puffy red eyes and a solemn expression that was beginning to become common fashion for him.

"Yeah?" Ben said, his voice somewhat shaky from staying silent for so long.

"It's time to go now." Ben looked around. People were beginning to leave the small church. Somehow he became lost in thought throughout most of the gathering. Part of him felt embarrassed for becoming so absent-minded instead of being the sturdy rock he intended to be. But most of him just didn't care. He didn't have the energy to bother with what others thought of him. It didn't matter to him anymore.

Ben walked out of the small church, not once looking back at the urn behind him.

X

What really was death, anyways? Was it really as bad as Ben had always thought it was, or was it simply a gateway to another state of being where one can no longer feel pain? Was death something to be feared, or rather embraced? Why must good people be subjected to all the despair that life had when they could be granted eternal peace? Why do some people choose to murder those they hate or consider evil, when they are actually bringing them closer to absolute bliss than any living person? Why do people try to survive and preserve themselves when it just wasn't worth the effort? Or was Ben missing some part or the equation that he couldn't quite grasp without help from his sister?

These were only a select few of the questions Ben did not want to answer himself. Simply thinking of the questions made his brain feel overloaded. He knew he wasn't thinking straight. He never had thoughts like these before, even far back when he was mourning his biological mother's death and decided to shun the rest of humanity. It was as if all the precious time he and his family spent repairing his broken spirit had shattered once again, this time into smaller fragments than ever before.

All Ben knew for sure was that he was alone. He was forced into playing the role of the hero in this twisted game of life. He needed to stay strong for Serena, for his mother, for his father. But the one thing he was learning about being a hero that Ben was never taught in his games was that heroes have no hero of their own. He couldn't be weak under any circumstance, because those he loved needed him more than he needed them.

Ben was a statue. Seemingly hard and unbreakable, but eventually corroded from being subjected to the harsh weather. And after enough abuse, he would someday crumble to dust.

Ben thought of all this while looking out his bedroom window, as he often did on sleepless nights. It seemed to offer him some sort of comfort, looking out into the night sky. But that night, it did no such thing. He noticed that there was no moon out, leaving the sky just spotted with tiny stars. It seemed even the moon wouldn't come to comfort him now. He had nothing.

Eventually, Ben managed to pry himself away from the window. He very much needed to try to sleep, since it had been escaping him for days now. Despite feeling completely exhausted, he was forced to lie awake for hours until morning finally arrived. The luxury of having his mind wrapped in sweet nothingness, even for a short time, was lost to the boy.

He felt his foot hit something.

Ben looked down. It was hard to tell exactly what it was with only weak starlight illuminating his bedroom. He could barely make out two small boxes poking out from under his bed. Ben, for a moment, narrowed his eyes at the objects, before he finally recognized them for what they were.

They were Serena's gifts, still waiting to be given.

Ben gently nudged the boxes with his foot out from their hiding places to the center of the floor. Serena would likely never receive those presents, or any present ever again. Except, of course, the gift of eternal peace, though that was something he could not give her, mostly because he was too cowardly to do such an immoral thing. He remembered being so happy when he realized the perfect gift for his sister. He remembered working for months to earn the money to buy the handheld device. He remembered when he stumbled upon Oracle of Ages and was certain that everything would turn out better than ever expected. He remembered waiting hours for two girls that would never come home. He remembered when the police arrived, and all his time and effort and love and happiness suddenly became worthless.

With all those memories flooding back at once, Ben felt completely overwhelmed by the rush of emotion. He lost everything. He was nothing. Everything was pointless. Nothing was left. Everything and nothing. Nothing and everything. A furious battle between what was and what is. There was no winner for this war. Only the ruins left in its wake remained.

Ben slammed his foot down hard, creating an audible _crack!_

There was no thinking anymore. He was done with all the questions and the pain they caused. He focused all his energy into stomping on the presents as hard as he could. When the pain in his foot became too hard to bear, he switched to the other. Over and over he beat the useless gifts, bending and snapping them into awkward shapes. Then, finally, he scooped them up from the floor and hurled them at the wall, watching as they bounced off and onto the floor, dead.

Now suddenly trembling, Ben sank to the floor, bringing his knees up to his chest. Only then did he notice the tears that ran along his face. He broke his promise. He said that he would never cry, and that he would be a hero. Heroes don't cry. Heroes were strong. Only the weak and helpless let their emotions consume themselves the way Ben did.

Ben slowly scooted himself over to where Serena's presents landed. He picked them up and cradled them in his arms, hugging them like they were his only true friends. He didn't need to inspect them to know that both the console and the cartridge had been destroyed. He immediately felt a surge of regret emanate throughout his body. Those gifts, despite losing their initial purpose, still signified something beautiful and pure about his love for his sister. And he destroyed them.

"I shouldn't have done that," he whispered to the battered remains. His tears were still flowing, showing no signs of stopping. He didn't care. It didn't matter anymore.

He was no hero. He was only Ben.


	8. Scream

Chapter 8: Scream

~Dear Ben,

Do I even need to apologise anymore? This happens nearly every time I write. I wait for some time between half a year to two to three years, realise I haven't wrote to you for X amount of time, feel like the worst sister ever, and then write to you in a bubble of self-pity. I always feel like I need to apologise after an especially long wait, but surely you must be used to it by now. I hope you don't think I'm ignoring you or something. I really do think about you all the time, I just never really have much to tell you about. My life has been pretty uneventful lately. Which is probably a good thing, really, but it gets boring after a while.

I'm now a senior in high school, which means that I'm supposed to be thinking about what I'm going to do for the rest of my life. I've never really been too good at long-term planning. I sort of just take life one step at a time and hope that doors will open for me. But now I need to decide what I'll do after school, and I am clueless. All I know is that I don't want to stay with Dad anymore. I've told you before how controlling he's become. But other than that, I've got nothing. I can't be a doctor like Mom, since I hate the sight of blood and death. And being a businessman –or woman– like Dad would be too boring. Every other career path either doesn't interest me or is too unreasonable to be able to call a career.

If I could be anything, I would probably be a game designer. You know how much I love gaming. After all, I was practically _raised _by Nintendo. Even though I haven't been playing games as much as I used to because of life and stuff, I still love it just as much as I used to. And I think I have a pretty good idea on what makes games good. But realistically, that would be a terrible idea. It's just not a great career. I probably wouldn't make much money, even if I could find a job at all. As much as I love games, I would very much prefer having a roof over my head. So I'll probably wind up doing something boring like Dad. It probably won't be so bad. After all, I'll still be able to do whatever I want in my free time, right?

I don't know. I feel pretty conflicted right now. I don't think I'm qualified to make such important decisions. Maybe doors will eventually open for me like they usually do. Maybe. Let's just hope that life gets easier soon.

Love, Serena~

X

"I'm sorry."

Ben's sister didn't respond. She never responded to anything anymore. It had been months since she first arrived in the hospital, and nothing gave signs of change. At this point, even the doctors who originally tried comforting him began to reveal their scepticism. They mentioned that staying in a comatose state for an extended time could result in irreversible brain damage. If the young girl did not wake up soon, her father may need to make the decision of whether or not the side effects would be worth living with.

"I'm sorry," Ben repeated, "but I don't think I can do this anymore," he felt his eyes begin to sting, and he welcomed the fresh tears. They reminded him that he was still human, and that he could still feel emotions. It was becoming hard to tell. After months of endless depression, his world eventually began to feel soulless. Sadness was so normal to him now that it was hard to distinguish the emotion from feeling nothing at all. Crying seemed to be a decent indication that he was more emotional than usual.

He looked down at his sister, who was still stored in the same sterile room she had always been. The bandage on her head was gone, revealing a rough reddish slash on the right side of her forehead. It would be there forever, never fully fading away, signifying that nothing would ever be the way things used to be.

"I-I can't live like this. It's j-just so…" Ben paused. The only real benefit of that hospital room was the confidentiality he had between him and his sister. He could say anything he wanted, and he only had himself to stop his words. But not everything is easy to say out loud, even in solitude.

But there was something that needed to be said. Something that the sleeping girl needed to know, even if she couldn't hear him. Ben was certain that she was still there, somewhere, hiding in that slowly crippling body. Though he'd prefer if she wasn't there at all, but safe with their mother where no pain existed anymore. But that would have to wait. That decision was, unfortunately, not his to make. But luckily, he could make some decisions. Which he did.

"Serena, I…" he stopped himself again. '_Say it!' _one part of his mind screamed. '_I can't!' _screamed another part. He was being a coward again. When this whole mess started, he was determined to be a hero, but that courage had long since dissipated from his spirit. He was not much more than an empty shell now.

He couldn't say it. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't tell her. It was too hard to admit, to say out loud. And what would she think if she were able to hear those words escape him? Maybe relieved, or maybe ashamed. Or maybe, somehow, a combination of both.

Ben let out a breath he didn't realise was being held. "…See you later…" he said softly. Then he silently got up from his seat and walked out of the room, not once turning around, knowing that he would never come back again.

X

Ben looked out his bedroom window, staring out into the sky. The moon was just nearing its first quarter. The boy would have preferred a full moon for the occasion, though he supposed nearly half was better than none at all.

He wasn't sure why he cared about the moon at all. This would be the most important night of his life, and he had more drastic things to contemplate than the phases of the moon. He needed to make sure everything went according to plan, because any number of tiny mistakes could make everything fall apart. And even if he were successful, the results of what he was planning to do could have catastrophic effects. It was truly a very flawed plan to begin with, even after all his planning.

But it would be worth it, if only to be happy again.

Ben pried himself away from the window. He stuffed a hand into the pocket of his sweater, feeling what was nestled inside. He decided to bring it along with him, though he wasn't quite sure why at the time. He wasn't quite sure of anything anymore. His entire life was now so incredibly confusing and, more than anything else, unbearably depressing. He could feel the dull aching inside his body, a sort of hollowness that invited itself into his being at some point during this whole mess. It almost hurt him.

He waited by the door for one, two, three long moments, listening for any evidence of his father's wakefulness and moping around the house. On some nights, he would stay up until dawn of the next day, pacing around the household in a fit of anxiety. The noise would often steal sleep away from Ben as well, when sleep was already a rarity for the boy. When he was sure that the hallways were completely empty, he quietly snuck out of his bedroom and tiptoed to the front door and turned the handle.

The front door opened, but Ben suddenly stopped himself from stepping outside. He quickly circled backwards to grab his pair of house keys and then rushed back to the door. He exited the home and shut the door behind him silently. He locked the door behind him. He wouldn't want any crazy people breaking into the house and hurting his father, or something equally horrible

He looked down at his keys. He wouldn't need them anymore. He considered throwing them into the thick field of trees surrounding his house, but then realised that they could still be useful. So he slipped them inside the mailbox, where they would likely be found the next time the mail was checked.

How long would it be until Ben was found? He could only wonder.

He took off into the woods. He knew the pathway by heart now. Even after his unfortunate incident at the lake years ago, he still joined the rest of the family during their trips. He would always watch them from the safety of land, observing them as they enjoyed themselves in ways he was never able to. Sometimes he wondered if any of them realised how much he wanted to be with them, having the same wonderful experience that was so natural to them. But he was always held back by his aquaphobia. Whenever he neared the water, his mind would scream at him to back away from the lethal fluid. But that was all in the past now. Now nobody in his family would be having fun in that lake again.

Ben stepped out of the trees, his eyes quickly falling on the vast expanse of water that spread out before him.

He sucked in his breath sharply at the sight of it. Even though an entire decade had passed since he witnessed his biological mother's death, his fear of large bodies of water was still strong. He felt his heart quicken its pace. Ben took slow, deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. He couldn't afford to be afraid. Fear can cause cowardice, or even worse, doubt. If he second guessed himself too much, it could ruin everything.

_Inhale. Exhale. In. Out._ He felt as the beating in his chest slowed, and the sinking feeling began to fade. He looked out into the lake again, now studying it closely. The still surface of the water was fractured by long shadows cast by the surrounding trees. The pale crescent moon reflected onto the water, casting small slivers of moonlight onto the darkened depths. In the dead of night, this place seemed not like a place made for fun with family. No, it looked more like a graveyard, somehow, as if the water was beckoning the boy to lose himself to the cold embrace of a brutal refuge. The feeling was alien to him, for not once before did the lake have such a magnetic effect on him. Nevertheless, he embraced the feeling, for it was what he hoped would happen.

His eyes soon found the small boat, beached nearby the shore. The thing had been neglected for a long time now. The accident happened during the last legs of winter, when it was still too cold for visiting the lake. And now, in the middle of April, the weather was perfect for going to the lake and having fun, yet it was still empty. All those days of joy and bliss Ben witnessed his family experience were nothing more than a memory now. Any positive emotion that was born on those days was replaced by either sorrow or emptiness. It felt so strange, how something that still felt so recent was now no more than a memory, trapped in the past, never to return.

Ben tried to clear his mind as he walked towards the boat. If he thought about it too much, he would change his mind, and he couldn't afford to do that now. He made decision long ago, and he would not turn back. He had been waiting for this night. That night, for the first time in a very long time, he would be happy again.

He let his mind wander elsewhere as he dragged the wooden boat towards the cold water. He noticed that the weather was perfectly calm. There was not even the slightest breeze, or a sign of clouds attempting to shroud the sky. Everything seemed so pristine and perfect. It felt wrong. Ben would have preferred it to be storming out, though he wasn't exactly sure why. Rain and wind would only make the whole process harder for him. But somehow the thought of a storm on that night seemed fitting, much like a full moon would.

With one final push, the boat was cast into the water, rocking in place for a moment before steadying itself on the shadowy water and creating gentle ripples on the still surface. Ben stared at the boat, studying its every detail. He noticed how the dark of night seemed to turn the vessel's proud red exterior into a dark grey. He noticed how the wood was beginning to splinter away, showing signs of use and wear. He noticed that the fear that had always plagued him when he neared the water has now miniscule, so small he could nearly convince himself he was fearless if not for the silent screaming nestled in the back of his mind. He hoped that the inkling feeling would not expand any more. After all, he still hadn't gotten to the hard part.

Ben felt the inside of his pockets once again, feeling the object inside. He was sure that he now knew why he had brought it with him. It was so that he could send it off, give it the honorable ending it deserved.

Honorable. Was that a word he could use to describe his actions? He decided that no, it was not. There was no honor in this night. It was a night dedicated to his cowardice. What he was doing was no more than quitting. He was, once and for all, resigning his duty of being a hero. He was a coward and nothing more.

He stepped into the boat without any flourish, barely feeling the icy water that licked his feet as he stepped in.

Settling into the small yet sturdy vessel, he awkwardly held onto the paddles, with one in each hand. The boy had never rowed a boat before, only watched his mother and father work together to glide the boat across the lake. But they supported each other, relying on teamwork. Ben had nobody but himself to turn to for help. Even if he did have somebody he could trust, he was sure this hypothetical person wouldn't let him go anywhere near that body of water. And so, with one paddle in each of his hands, he cumbersomely started moving through the water, slowly making his way to the centre where the lake was at its deepest.

Ben tried not to think of anything on his slow journey, though whenever he focused on anything other than his current task, the realization of where he was would suddenly strike. His heart would beat faster and his breathing would become irregular, and he would have to calm himself in order to continue again. It made the entire process even slower and much more difficult, though it was still easier than contemplating things like the implications and consequences of his future actions.

Eventually Ben found an area that seemed relatively deep. It was hard for him to judge the depth accurately, due to the shadows of the night turning the water into a darkened void, so he merely assumed it would be deepest near the middle of the lake. He set the paddles aside, not needing them anymore, and carefully shuffled to the edge of the boat. He peered off of the side, staring into the cold water. He couldn't see anything at all, let alone the bottom of the lake. He decided to take that as a good sign. He put his hands in his pockets.

He felt the surface of the objects inside, studying their awkward bends and dents with his hands. Carefully, he took them out, exposing them to the faint light of a crescent moon. They looked the same as he did all those nights ago, when Ben destroyed them in a fit of rage and misery. Both the handheld console and the game cartridge were still broken, completely unusable. They never had an opportunity to fulfill their purpose, to make Serena happy and show Ben's undying gratitude. They were nothing now. And in a strange way, Ben could relate. After that night, he would never be able to fulfill his purpose in the world, whatever it may be. Or maybe he had none. Maybe he and every other human being was just fate's plaything. But nevertheless, he was now just as broken as the game, if not worse. His soul felt shattered, damaged beyond repair. He was sure that, even if Serena could wake up, she would not be able to mend his broken spirit. He needed to be discarded like the trash he was.

Ben felt every crevice inflicted upon the two boxes. The boy had never before felt such a strong connection to a game he never played.

Then, despite everything, he found himself smiling, though it was not a happy smile. "See you at the bottom," the broken boy whispered softly to the broken games.

And then he threw them into the lake.

He watched as the two made a small arc through the air, the boxes drifting apart slightly, before colliding with the harsh waters with a muted splash. The water swallowed the objects hungrily, desperate to take anything it could from the world, and then they were gone. The misshapen boxes were lost, the depths so shrouded in darkness that Ben couldn't even watch their downwards descent. They were gone so suddenly it hardly felt real, yet also so incredibly permanent.

Ben stared out at the open water, unable to take his eyes away. It was time. Soon, all the pain and misery he was forced to live with would drift away. Yes, it was wrong, and yes, he was a coward, but he just couldn't bring himself to care anymore. It just hurt too much. All the joy he had ever felt in his life, it was all just a sick tease. What happened to Serena was just a slap in the face for him, a reminder that nothing good lasts forever in this world. But soon, it would all be over. He could finally embrace peaceful nothingness, which was infinitely better than enduring the pain life brings.

All he had to do was step out of the boat.

The plan seemed so simple in his head earlier, but now there seemed to be some sort of block in his mind. What would his father think when he found him missing? Would he sink deeper into his own depression? Would he too become so incredibly numb to the world?

And would that really be a bad thing? After all, if his father were also brought to his breaking point, then maybe he too would eventually give up on the cruel world. Then, the family could be together again at last. Maybe they could even be happy again, together, safe from fate. But that could never happen unless Ben lost himself to the cold yet soothing embrace of complete emptiness.

And, at that moment, what Ben was doing suddenly felt so completely and utterly right that he did not even hesitate as he carefully stood up in the small boat.

He looked into the dark water.

He took in one last breath.

He closed his eyes.

And then

He jumped.

The icy blast of the water immediately enveloped him, shocking all of his senses. Before he could even fully register the sudden cold, his entire body was consumed by the hungry water. He thrashed his limbs around frantically, instincts screaming at him to swim back to the surface, though he only continued to descend towards the bottom of the deep lake. The sound of his racing heart echoed throughout his head, speeding up with the sudden sense of panic and depravation of oxygen. The rushed pulsating noise of his own heart soon drowned out the dull sound of water rushing past him as he sank further and further into the abyss.

Ben felt his lungs begging for air, the sharp pain soon resonating throughout his entire body. He eventually lost control and released the air he held, watching the bulbous bubbles drift away from him in his blurring vision. Water rushed into his mouth, quickly starting to fill his already pained lungs. As he suffocated, the water seemed to be consuming him, surrounding his body from all angles, slowly strangling his entire being.

Unable to bear the immense pain any longer, he let out an agonized scream. The shriek resonated throughout the water, muted by the thick liquid surrounding him. Ben could hardly hear himself over the sound of his heart, which was beating so fast it almost seemed like one steady note that also echoed and died out as it travelled away from him.

Ben watched as the small trace of moonlight disappeared from his vision, both due to the rising darkness and his vision slowly fading away. He held onto that sliver of moonlight until all he could see was the darkness, all he could feel was the darkness, and all he knew was the darkness.

He couldn't hear his heart or his scream anymore. He wasn't sure if the noises stopped, or his hearing was lost with his vision, or he could no longer comprehend the very concept of noise. He could already feel his body growing weak. He quit trying to resist the slow pull of gravity, unable to move at all. He let go, accepting his final fate.

Slowly, even the pain began to die down, and everything became so completely silent. It was as if all the emptiness he felt inside earlier was seeping outwards, cocooning him in a blank canvas. He could no longer sense the water rushing around him. Everything was just so dark and cold. It was like he was drifting through a black void, losing control of everything around him. It felt so peaceful, but also terrifying.

And then, Ben could feel even his mind drifting away from him, his thoughts becoming muddled and incomprehensible. He understood that these were truly his final moments. He could feel himself leaving, though he wasn't sure exactly where. He wasn't sure of anything. His mind had become so incredibly blank, he could hardly think anymore. All he could do was feel. Feel the fear that flowed through him as he slipped away. And soon, even that was gone.

Moments before Ben finally lost consciousness, he could barely register his one final sensation. It was letters –no, words- that seemed to dance in his vision, each character hovering in front of him by some unknown force. The words themselves were unsettling, yet also so very familiar to the drowning boy. They lingered in his vision, just long enough for him to see their message.

_You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?_

And then, nothing.


	9. Music

Chapter 9: Music

~Dear Ben,

I know it hasn't been that long since I last wrote to you, but I have some news that I want to tell you. I decided to go for it. Once high school is over, I'll be moving into an apartment in the city, where I'll be working on getting my bachelor's degree in game design! I know I said before that it was too much of a risk, but I decided to go ahead and do it. After all, if I'm going to be doing the same thing over and over for the rest of my life, I might as well do what I love. And yes, I know before I was complaining about how there aren't a lot of great jobs in the field and the money isn't always the best, but I decided that the gamble would be worth it if things turn out in my favor.

So I'm now following a career might cause me to end up in the poorhouse. Obviously, I was worried that Dad would be angry at me for my arguably stupid decision, but that wasn't the case at all. He's been very supportive of my decision, and I think he's even a bit proud of me for doing what I love. Honestly, I think he sometimes wishes he chose a more interesting career path than a corporate drone, but I could be wrong. After all, I have never once heard him complain about his job. In fact, he's surprisingly happy nowadays, maybe even happier than he used to be.

I'm pretty sure that I said this before, but Dad has changed a lot since you and Mom passed away. I remember when I first got out of the hospital, he seemed extremely miserable. I'm pretty sure he blamed himself for your death, and maybe he still does a little bit. But I think once I woke up he started to get a more positive outlook on life. Life is short, and good things always come and go, but that's just more reason to enjoy it while it lasts.

Sometimes I wish you could have learned tha-NO! I won't start thinking about that sort of stuff. It's not healthy. Why do these letters always need to turn into diary entries? I'm sure you don't want to deal with my rambling all the time. Sorry you have to put up with me. I seriously think I might have issues.

Love, Serena~

X

...The music echoed softly, the melody slowly soothing the boy out of his deep slumber. Slowly emerging from the realm of nothingness, his mind began to slowly fill with the sensation of the song playing around him. His subconscious held onto each note, listening as they rose in volume before suddenly dropping back to silence. The melody was hard to determine, for the slow phrases, much like the notes themselves, seemed to die away before they could be fully realised. Each noise slowly resurrected him from his sleep, ever so slightly, before he began to drift back into the darkness. But then another note would play, and another, until thoughts began to form once again in his foggy mind.

The first clear thought he managed was '_Where is that music coming from?' _

The second clear thought was '_Am I dead?'_

And then he noticed just how much his body ached. It wasn't so much a sharp pain like he felt in his lungs earlier, but a dull throbbing that resonated through him. He felt as if each muscle in his body had been pulverised, leaving him no more than a gory bloodstain on the ground.

The ground. Ben noticed the surface he was lying under felt coarse and cool underneath the fabric of his sweater. He focused his limited strength on moving his fingers. For moments, they refused to comply, but soon they began to move again to Ben's own will. They clenched part of the grainy floor beneath him, letting miniscule fragments slip through the gaps of his fingers. Dirt, probably, though it seemed exceptionally rough to the touch. And mostly dry.

Ben forced himself to take a long, deep breath. The effort stung his lungs, like he was breathing in needles rather than air, but it was worth it. It was air, not water. He wasn't at the bottom of the lake. He was above the surface, somehow. Perhaps he found a way to swim back to dry land before passing out. Or maybe his body had drifted him to shore before he could drown. Or the whole event could have been nothing more than a nightmare, but that failed to explain why he wasn't in his bedroom.

And nothing he could imagine, or at least within the laws of reality, could explain the warped music that gradually grew louder with each beat, the sforzando of each note forcing its way into existence before fading away. It sounded almost as if a previously calming and serene song was inverted, distorting it into a discordant lament.

Ben flexed his hands about, feeling his surroundings, but only grasped more gritty dirt. He forced his upper arms to move slightly, but still felt nothing. He needed to open his eyes. He needed to confirm where he was, and find the source of the music.

Ben struggled to open his eyes, only to find that they were weighed down. His eyelids felt so incredibly heavy, it was hard to believe they could ever be opened. He tried again, straining every muscle in his face, but the effort only brought him twinges of pain. Ben stopped himself, realising he was only causing more pain than necessary.

Slowly, the music seemed to die away into nothingness. Ben figured that the song had finally ended, or that the source of the noise had moved away. But then, even more quickly than it ended, the tune started over from the beginning, continuing on an endless loop.

_You need to do this, _Ben thought. If he didn't open his eyes eventually, he may as well rot into the earth. He needed to get home, to find his father. The man was probably worried sick of him, depending on how long he was unconscious for. Minutes. Hours. Days. It didn't matter. All he knew was that he had tried to do something incredibly stupid, and he was lucky to be alive at all.

Ben tried for a third time to open his eyes, sending all his energy into the weakened muscles around his eyes. Pain surged through him, but he ignored it, instead focusing on how his eyelids twitched and fluttered under the strain. Slowly, the simple act began to seem more and more possible. Slowly, his eyes began to pry open, exposing him to the world.

At first, his vision is bleary, distorted by sleep and neglect. He blinked one, two, three slow times, his eyes threatening to seal shut once again with each time they closed. But when his vision finally cleared, his foggy mind suddenly became bombarded with new confusion.

The first thing he noticed also made the most sense: the darkness. It was still nighttime, Ben realised, and a sudden wave of relief washed over him. Hopefully, his absence was not even noticed, and he could sneak back inside the house without anybody knowing about his terrible decision.

The second thing he noticed was that he was lying on sand, not dirt. This explained the unusually coarse texture he felt in his hands, but nothing more. He was in the lake. There was no sand by the lake. It was only surrounded by dirt and grass and tall trees. This meant that either there was always sand and Ben just never noticed it, that he had some sort of amnesia from his near-death experience, or that he wasn't at the lake anymore. He hoped very much that the former most was the truth, and, even more so, he hoped that the last was a lie.

And then he noticed what was ahead of him. The first thing that caught his tired eyes, due to the bright colors more than anything, were the boats. At least, he was pretty sure they were boats. There were two: one yellow and one blue. Neither looked like the red boat he rode in earlier that night. And then he noticed the sparsely planted palm trees. Ben realised that this was the first time he had ever seen a real palm tree other than in photographs, television, or video games, though the momentous occasion was greatly overshadowed by his confusion and creeping fear. And, in the distance, was a… castle? No, no, it was much too small to be a castle. It was more like a house, or even a hut, now that he studied it more closely. But the architecture seemed to match the description of a castle fairly well. Definitely not the house he had lived in for five years, or any building he had ever seen. Or so he thought.

Finally, he noticed how every single shape around him appeared especially angular. It was almost like the world around him was folded from paper like origami. Ben could not find a single curved surface, from the boats to the trees to the hut and beyond. It was as if everything around him was constructed out of… polygons…

Ben knew this place.

"No," Ben said, "No, no, no, no…" This couldn't be real. There was no way this could be real. It was impossible. This had to be some sort of incredibly vivid dream. Or perhaps the water had scrambled his brain and made him delusional. Maybe both, or maybe neither. But it couldn't be real. It- it just couldn't be!

But this place, it was just like he remembered, even in the dark of night. It had been so long since he last visited this place, but he once did so often that the layout of the land was still engrained in his memory. There was no mistaking it. The more Ben looked the more certain he was of his location, as crazy as it seemed. He was in Great Bay. The ocean region of Termina. One of the four main areas in Majora's Mask. And most specifically, the very place that the Zora Mikau died, lying on the beach in the same way Ben was now after he played his final song.

Ben looked up into the sky. His eyes quickly caught a glimpse of the full moon looking back at him. Not figuratively looking at him, but literally so, wearing a permanent scowl-like expression and its fiery red eyes looking right into his soul. There was no escaping it. He was in Termina, somehow.

A dream. A hallucination. A warped memory. All of those seemed very possible, yet none could begin to explain how he could feel every grain of sand as they slipped through his fingers, or the persistent music that continued to play. Maybe the sand was just dirt, and he was really at the shore of the lake, losing his mind after his brush with death. And maybe the music was being played in the hospital he was taken to, although the tune seemed unfitting for a place of healing. The two examples worked fine by themselves, but could not coexist. He could be by the lake, and he could be in a hospital, but not simultaneously. There was no explanation for this, but there was also no way his eyes were speaking the truth.

As Ben's mind cleared more, he noticed that the aching pains that consumed him began to fade. It was as if it just escaped from his body, leaving him behind. Soon, it seemed to be gone completely. He couldn't even be sure if the pain was even real, or if it was just part of him losing the last shreds of his sanity. One moment he could hardly move, and the next he was fine again, as if he hadn't even drowned. This, like everything else he was currently faced with, made no sense. Pain doesn't just disappear. It takes time to go away. But, despite what was possible, the pain was gone.

With surprising ease, Ben picked himself up from the sandy ground. He turned around to face the vast ocean that lay behind him. Nearby was the unmistakable structure of the Marine Research Laboratory and, farther off in the distance, the tall looming pillars of Pinnacle Rock. In the serene darkness, the calm ocean seemed almost beautiful, even if it was a ruthless killer. But the uncomfortable tune ruined the tranquility. It was the kind of music that made you feel like there is something evil lurking close by, preparing to strike. It drilled into his soul, each note piercing him like a sharpened arrow. He did not enjoy it very much. He did not enjoy any of this very much.

Ben took a long, deep breath in. He held it for a moment, and then let it out. He repeated the process again. In, out, in, out. It was okay. He was safe. He didn't die. He would find out what was going on, and where he really was, and everything would be okay. There was no need to panic. Wherever he was, he was safe. Ben repeated this, until he nearly fooled himself into believing it.

He looked around. The enemies in the area seemed to be gone, or at the very least hiding from him. That meant he was safe. Perhaps it could also be proof that this was not truly Termina, but a figment of his imagination. He was, despite the confusion that continued to surround him, glad that the enemies were gone. When he was adventuring in this world as Link, he was powerful, but as Ben he was nothing. He lacked a sword or ocarina or even a mask. He couldn't even fight his own grief, let alone Majora.

But his own self was all that he had. And it was better than nothing.

Ben set out, not really sure where his destination could be or what he was looking for. He started by walking away from the beachside. Since the Great Bay Coast was so close to Termina Field, it only took him mere moments before he was walking through the tall narrow cliffs of Great Bay's exit. He walked around the short white and blue fences that seemed to serve no purpose. And then, everything around him suddenly turned to white.

For a moment, he was puzzled. The sudden sheet of emptiness seemed to come out of nowhere. But then he remembered how the screen of the television would always turn white or black when Link entered any new area. And sure enough, the world quickly came back into focus. And, somehow, with the words 'Termina Field' hovering in the corner of his vision.

Ben stared at the text. It seemed as though it was just hovering there in the corner of his vision, separate from the rest of the world. And then it faded away. Just like the text that would appear when entering a new area.

That was it. All possibility, no matter how miniscule, of this experience being any more than one giant apparition was erased. There was no way he could even hallucinate a world like this. Words don't just appear and disappear. The world doesn't fade to white whenever you go to another location. This was a dream. Nothing more. Any moment now, he was going to wake up. Maybe in his bed. Maybe in a hospital. Maybe beached by the shore of the lake. But he certainly wasn't in Termina, or even awake.

But if none of this actually existed, then why did it feel so real? Why could he feel the ground beneath his feet and smell the cool night air and see every miniscule detail the world? Never before had he experienced a dream that felt so impossibly real. Maybe this wasn't a dream. Maybe he was in a coma, just like Serena. Was this what she had been experiencing all these months? Surely she wasn't in Termina. She had never even played the game. But maybe she was trapped inside her own twisted world, just as baffled as he was. Ben hoped that wasn't the case. Whatever was happening to him, he didn't like it. Nothing made sense. It was too clear to be fake, but too impossible to be reality. Like some unnatural limbo.

Ben quickly passed Termina Field and entered Clock Town. It was just like he remembered, down to the slightest detail. He had been to this town more often than anywhere else in the game. He spent so much of his time going on side quests and interacting with the characters. He remembered loving how every person would eventually react to the crashing moon in their own way. But now the town was completely deserted. Not a single person could be seen. Nobody. Not even that one little dog that ran about. Not even the frogs that would hop around in the Laundry Pool. He had never seen a world so empty before. It was like everyone just abandoned him. Never before had he felt so… isolated.

Eventually, Ben found himself in South Clock Town. Nearby the beginning of the game, where the adventure first started. There was still nobody. He still hadn't woken up. He was so, so disoriented, and even a bit frightened. This place. It looked so much like Termina, but it was forsaken, like a ghost town. The only sound he could hear was the strange music that continued to loop over and over, on and on, forever and ever. And it was still nightfall. In the game, it would have been day by now, and familiar faces would come out of hiding and filled the town with excitement. But now the only face the moon's, which was still high in the sky, never inching any closer. This wasn't the world he loved. This was- this was hell. Unable to escape. Nothing but loneliness and emptiness. For all eternity.

No. This was a dream. He would wake up. This would end. He didn't die. He just needed to wait. He just needed to stay strong. Any moment, he would depart from this desolate place and be back home again.

It would need to be soon, because this world was already beginning to break him.

But Ben couldn't bear waiting. He needed to do something. Go somewhere. Anything to stop the horrid music from driving him mad. He glanced around, looking for anything that could distract him from whatever was happening to him. And then he saw it. Two large double doors, right at the base of the Clock Tower. That was where the Happy Mask Salesman was. He would never move from that spot. Maybe he would still be there. It was obvious to Ben that whatever that man was, he wasn't normal. Perhaps the strange rules of this world didn't apply to him. Perhaps he was waiting for him. Perhaps he could take him back home.

It was a stretch, he knew. But everything made so little sense that he was willing to try anything just to end this nightmare. He pushed past the heavy wooden doors, and stepped through, enveloping him in darkness.

When his vision cleared again, he looked around the Clock Tower basement. The room was exactly as he remembered it, filled with small manmade rivers and large waterwheels connected to gears and cogs that extended high above him. The room was dark, even compared to the perpetual night outside, and smelled slightly damp and musty, though that may have just been Ben's imagination. The only light source was the trace moonlight poking from the opened double doors. But even in the shadows, he could see that the Happy Mask Salesman was gone.

Ben wasn't sure what he expected. Maybe the salesman could have told him what was happening, like he did at the beginning of the game. Maybe he expected to find the way back home. Or maybe he even expected his own father, the only person he truly had left before this all started, to be waiting for him instead.

Despite knowing he was foolish, that he was grasping at too many straws to count, he couldn't help but feel betrayed. No, not betrayed. Or at least, not by others. By himself. After all, it was his fault he was here, wasn't it? If he had just stayed home that night, he wouldn't be here.

Sinking down to the cold stone stairs, he buried his face in his hands. He could feel tears escaping softly from his eyes. He let them escape. There was nobody to see him, anyways. Wherever he actually was, he was alone. That was more obvious than anything.

"Wh-why is this happening to me?" he asked the empty room encasing him.

_You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?_

Ben looked up. Was that somebody coming to save him? There must have been someone. How else would he have gotten a response?

But there was nobody. Instead, in front of him was a statue. It looked almost like Link, but its face was warped into a bizarre grimace. Link's Elegy Statue. But the Elegy statues couldn't leave Ikana. It didn't belong there in the dreary clock tower.

It was as close to another person that he was going to get.

"Yeah," Ben said softly, "I certainly have."

**A/N: Wait, since when do I do authors notes? I really don't do this sort of thing, but I have some bad news I feel I need to share. Finals are coming up, and I have been informed that my education is important for my future or something like that. And because of that, I'll need to take a break writing this story. Even **_**this **_**chapter was a bit rushed, if it wasn't already obvious. I might be able to write a little bit in my spare time, but there will probably still be a hiatus. But if Chapter 10 doesn't come out in 30 days after I publish this chapter, I give you all full permission to kick me in the face repeatedly until it's completed (but I'd much rather you didn't). After that, I promise I'll go back to posting roughly every other week. And if you're reading this after Chapter 10 has been posted, this is irrelevant to you and I've just wasted your time. In that case, I'm sorry. I think I've rambled on enough. This tiny blurb at the end of the chapter has gotten pretty long now. This is why I don't do author's notes.**


	10. Time

Chapter 10: Time

~Dear Ben,

Once again, I know I've been writing to you an awful lot lately, but I just wanted to share this moment with you. For the very first time, I am not writing this letter from home. Well, actually, I am, but not the same home. I mean, It's not really home yet, since I'm still moving in, but hopefully it'll start to feel like home soon. Sorry, I got off topic. What I was _trying _to say is that I moved out of our old home to an apartment in the city. It's pretty small, but that's okay since it's only me living here. It's also not the best apartment in the world, since it was pretty cheap to rent, but that's okay, too, because it's not like I'll be living here my whole life or anything. Or at least, I hope not. We'll just have to wait and see.

This is honestly really exciting. I'm finally living all on my own! I've been waiting for this ever since... well, ever since I became an angst-filled teenager. And it didn't help that I became one around the same time Dad started to become overprotective. And even though he's been so supportive of me, I don't think he really wanted me to go. I hope he'll be okay on his own. And I hope I'll be okay, too.

Listen, Ben, there's something... kinda important I want to tell you. I mean, it's not too important, but you should probably know. It's just that, I think there's a reason I've been writing to you a lot. Or maybe not. There has been a lot going on in my life, after all. I finished high school, I chose my future career, I moved out, and soon I'll be starting classes. That's probably it. Just forget what I was just saying. Why do I always write in pen when I know I don't have any whiteout? Please, just disregard what I say, because I clearly have no idea what I'm talking about. All you really need to know is that I love you and I miss you, and I wish you were still here.

Love, Serena~

X

One of the worst things, by far, was the waiting. Not just because Ben was impatient, but because he had nothing to wait for. This world was his new infinity. It didn't take long for him to realize that his questions would never be answered. What happened to him, where he actually was, why he was there, whether or not he could ever leave, why he was alone in this empty world. Anything he could think of, he would never know. No matter how long he waited, everything remained the same. Night never turned to day, the same tune kept playing on, and nobody came to save him. Nobody would ever come to save him. Nobody was going to give him his answers. All he could do was wait, and cling onto the possibility that somehow, someday, a change would happen that would deviate from the depressing routine.

The routine itself was not really a routine at all. With no real way of measuring time, it was impossible to develop any sort of schedule, all he had was doing one thing until he got bored with it. Sometimes he would wander around Clock Town, trying to see if any of the mini-games would still work without anyone to run them, even though he learned right away that they would not. It was just something to distract his thoughts.

Sometimes he would go to the game's temples. He couldn't actually enter any of them, as they all required some sort of item in order to gain access, and Ben, of course, didn't have any kind of weaponry with him. But he would search for any glitches or oversights that the developers or play testers didn't originally find. He never found any, but it worked to keep him entertained for a few moments.

And sometimes he would visit the four main areas of the game. He visited Great Bay the least, admittedly due to his fears of water, but also because it reminded him of the trauma he experienced when first arriving there. More often, he would be in Ikana Canyon. He wasn't sure why, but something just seemed to draw him there. Maybe it was because it was where he actually was in the game before he was physically transported there. Or maybe it was because the desolate wasteland had some strange attractive force for suffering spirits like himself. Ben didn't like that theory very much, so he tried to ignore it.

All he really did was wander the shell of a game, over and over, on and on. He did this until he knew every crack and crevasse of the world, letting the map of the land become part of him. The routine wasn't much, he knew, but it was all he had. It was the only thing that could distract him from his harsh reality. From all the answers he didn't want to know.

It was almost funny how a game that once brought him such joy and happiness now only offered the slow degradation of his soul.

One day, something different happened. Though it may have not been one day at all. Perhaps, at the time, it had been minutes or hours, or months or years, since he first arrived. He was in Ikana when it happened. Like usual, he was doing nothing, but pretending that he was looking at the world for the first time. And, like usual, the grating music was resonating throughout the canyon. It seemed almost as if the notes echoed softly off the hard rock walls, though that may have been just his deteriorating mind tricking him. Being in this area was nothing new. He wasn't sure how many times he had been there, and he didn't really care.

_Isn't it petty, little battles like this that have caused it?_

Ben turned around. Behind him, watching with its dull stone eyes, stood Link's Elegy Statue. This too had happened many times before. Sometimes, seemingly at random, the statue would spawn behind him, without a sound. The only times he noticed it was when it was accompanied by a random piece of text from the game, which front of his vision.

And, as usual, he ignored the statue. All it ever did was follow him around like a lost pet, though he knew it was no more than a blank stone effigy. Even the game itself claimed it had no heart. The fact that it always tailed him only made him uncomfortable. He just kept walking, leaving it behind.

_What business have you in Ikana Kingdom, land where only the dead roam?_

Ben turned around. The statue was still behind him, this time closer than before. "None of your business," Ben muttered, and turned around again. Just ignore it. Keep walking.

_Will you play... with me?_

Ben turned around again. "No! Go away, you dumb statue!" he retorted. What did that hunk of rock think it was? It wasn't alive, it wasn't real, it didn't help him at all. All it did was follow him around as if it was possessed. What purpose did it have, other than to bother him when his entire life was already in shambles? Forget about it. Never mind it, just ignore it, just keep walking. Ben glared angrily at the air in front of him.

_Hee, hee. Now _that's _a good look for you! You'll stay here looking that way forever!_

"Shut up!" Ben shouted at the statue, which was now only inches from him. "Shut up, already! I am _not _staying here forever! I'm gonna get back home, no matter what you say! Just _go away_!" His screams echoed throughout the canyon, accompanying the harsh music in a chaotic duet.

The statue disappeared.

Ben blinked. He didn't expect it to actually leave. After all, it was just a statue. It had no mind of its own. It had to be a coincidence. Or maybe, just maybe...

"Come back," Ben said, his voice suddenly small. He waited for something to happen. For anything to happen. But nothing did. He sighed to himself, and turned around to continue walking in disappointment.

He bumped into the statue.

Ben blinked. Did... did he do that? Did he really just control the statue with his mind? No, that couldn't be possible. He was never able to do that. But, just to make sure...

"Go away," Ben said. It went away.

"Come back," Ben said. He turned around. It was back.

Ben could only blink. He could control the statue with him mind. But why? Did he have some sort of... spiritual connection with the Elegy Statue? No, that couldn't be it, they were just parts of the game's coding. But, then again, he was real, and he was also in the game. He _was_ real, wasn't he? He was just a normal twelve-year-old boy. If he always had the power to teleport things with his mind alone, wouldn't he have learned it at a much younger age? He had no idea what was happening. He could feel the confusion he felt when he first arrived begin to emerge once again.

Ben thought for a moment. Maybe his new power wasn't limited to the statue. He closed his eyes, picturing a certain object in his mind. He put his complete and total focus into it. And then, he opened his eyes.

There, lying on the ground was a blue ocarina. He slowly picked it up, cradling it in his hands. He couldn't believe it. Somehow, he had the power to manipulate this warped version of Majora's Mask with only his thoughts. Either he could always do this and never tried, or something happened to him. Something that happened after he jumped out of that boat.

That day, he asked himself a new question: What was _he_?

X

_ Down, right, left, down, right, left._

Ben held the ocarina up to his face, listening to the notes that came out of them. At first, he attempted to play it normally by covering the holes, but he just couldn't get the hand of it. His hands were used to mashing buttons on a controller, and lacked the dexterity needed for such a small instrument. But then he learned that he could make music by simply thinking of the buttons he would press on the controller. In fact, he wasn't even sure if he needed to blow into the instrument, but he did it anyways, just to feel like he was actually playing it.

_Down, right, left, down, right, left._

After he learned how to spawn items, he suddenly had many new forms of entertainment. But, over time, even every item and mask in the game grew uninteresting. That was when he started to play the ocarina. Mastering an instrument took time and effort. As far as he could perceive, he had all the time in the world, and had nothing else worth focusing on. It did a decent job of distracting him from all his confusion and worry and regrets. And, even though he wasn't playing it in the traditional style, he was still rather terrible starting out. But it sometimes sounded like he was getting better. That scared Ben. It meant that time was passing without him.

_Down, right, left, down, right, left._

Most often, he would play the song that was always playing throughout the world. It was the easiest, only because he always had a reference to play along with. He certainly didn't make the awful noise any better, but at least he couldn't make it much worse. In fact, it almost felt a bit... nice to play, oddly enough. Or maybe not. He wasn't very much sure of anything anymore. Whenever he started to question things or think about the past and present, he would start to feel miserable. So he didn't.

_Down, right, left, down, right, left._

He played the song of what felt like an eternity, but it couldn't have been, because the song in the background had only repeated a few hundred times. He was getting sick of playing the song. He wanted to play something else. Unfortunately for him, it was hard to think of any other song when the one he wanted to avoid was blaring throughout the world. It was like no other songs existed.

Ben growled silently. The music was horrible enough on its own. He didn't need to hear it on loop for all eternity. He had, in the past, tried to stop it the same way he manipulated the environment, but it never seemed to work. Either he wasn't powerful enough, or it was out of his control completely. Frustrated, he started playing random notes, the discordant melodies shrieking through the lands. It actually sounded a bit better than the actual music.

Ben sighed. His life had become monotonous. If he was even living, of course. As hard as it was to tell time, he was certain that days had passed, and he had received no food, water, or even sleep since first arriving. That, along with his new strange abilities, made it slowly seem more likely that something terrible had happened to him.

Ben listened to the song. Each note seemed like it was being stretched out, and then suddenly contracted. Even after all this time, it was hard to find a coherent rhythm. It really did sound like a song being played in reverse, but he just couldn't pinpoint what it was. It felt so familiar, yet also so distant from him.

And then he got an idea. An idea, and more importantly something that could entertain him for a brief moment. He held the ocarina back up to his face, and visualized three particular buttons on the Nintendo 64 controller.

_Left, right, down, left, right, do-_

A sudden burst of pure pain rocketed throughout his entire body, spreading from head to toes almost instantly. He screamed violently, his pained voice drowning out the warped music. It felt like his entire body had been suddenly set on fire and electrocuted simultaneously. He writhed on the ground from the sudden pain, feeling the jolting aches inside of his body. For one, two, three excruciatingly long years, the pain crawled through his skin like a hungry parasite. It continued, as did his screams, for eternities.

And, as quickly as it came, it was over.

Ben forced himself to his hands and knees, gasping heavily. He could still feel his heart racing from inside his chest. Now that it was over, he realized the pain probably only lasted a few seconds at most. He tried to steady his breathing. It wasn't as awful as drowning, but it certainly wasn't enjoyable.

In his head, a new question formed: _Why would that song hurt me?_

At least now knew what the tune was.

He wouldn't be playing the Song of Healing again any time soon.

X

Ben sighed heavily, bringing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. This was beginning to become his default position, as he had no reason to go anywhere or do anything. Nothing interested him anymore. Nothing motivated him anymore. He had no purpose. He had been cast away in this horrid land for who knows how long, with nothing but himself and whatever was in the game. He knew it was driving him mad, and he wanted to stop it, but he didn't know how.

"A puppet that can no longer be used is mere garbage," Ben whispered grimly, "This puppet's role has just ended..." He knew the line. He knew every line. Every single piece of text in the game, he had witnessed many times over. They were part of him now.

Ben closed his eyes tightly and leaned back, feeling the cold statue that stood behind him. It was always there, never too far away. After all this time, the lifeless statue was the closest thing to a real person he had.

"I did it once, I can do it again..." Ben muttered to himself. He knew that letting himself die was the worst thing he ever did in his life. But now, the damage was already done. He wasn't sure if he was dead or not, but he knew that he didn't want to be there. Anything was better than this. And he would do anything to leave. Anything.

Hardly even needing to think anymore, a sword appeared in front of him, clattering to the ground gently. Unwrapping himself from his arms, he picked it up gently, holding it gingerly. And then, slowly, he gripped the hilt with both hands, aiming the sharp blade towards his chest.

No matter what happened, it would be worth it, if only to leave this cursed place.

Slowly, he drew in one last breath, and plunged the blade into his body.

He heard a slight _clunk _as the tip of the sword collided with the statue behind him. Ben braced himself for the pain, ready to feel it explode throughout his body. He heard himself let out a small scream in the sudden intense silence, ready for sweet sordid death once again.

But, as the sword sat there, impaled through his chest, he felt no pain. He could feel the rough shape of the metal interacting with his soft innards, but the sensation was no more than a slight discomfort. Opening his eyes, he risked a glance down where his skin was pierced. Where blood and entrails should have been spewing, there was nothing.

Not knowing what to do, he grabbed the hilt, and slowly pulled the sword from his body, feeling the blade slide through his organs with ease. When the sword was finally extracted from his chest, he simply threw it aside. He inspected the area where his flesh was penetrated. His clothes were still perfectly intact, like nothing happened at all. He lifted his shirt up, examining his chest, but found not even a scar.

Feeling his hands shaking, he curled back up into a ball, trying to block out the rest of the world. And there, silently, he wept.

He didn't notice the music start again. He never even realized it stopped.

X

Ben tried to remember, but he just couldn't. He tried to remember the joyous theme that once played in Clock Town, but no matter how hard he tried to rummage through his broken mind, he just couldn't remember. There was a time where he would hear it every day due to constantly playing the game instead of spending time with his family. He even still remembered how it would speed up every day, until the once happy tune became frantic and chaotic. But he just couldn't remember the actual song.

He wondered what else he had forgotten. Ben cursed himself, regretting not clinging onto his memories while they were still fresh. But then again, he had no way of knowing he would be trapped for so long.

He also wondered exactly how long he had been there. It must have been a long time if he was beginning to forget things he once knew so well. But perhaps his environment was effecting the memory loss. The constant solitude and repetition of that hellish song was not kind to his psyche.

But part of Ben just didn't care anymore. He didn't care about forgetting. When he thought of the past, all he could think of was all he had lost. Why did he let himself come to this place? Things could have gotten better at home. Serena could have already woken up. And instead of waiting for her, he had to be a coward and choose the easier path. And now he had nobody. And she didn't have him, either. Things like this were what drove him mad the most. No matter what he could have done differently, anything would be better than what he did. In the real world, there was always somebody he could turn to. In fact, he would sometimes be stupid enough to push others away. Now, he was, at long last, finally alone. And he hated it.

As time went on, forgetting all his past mistakes did not seem all too bad. But still, another part of him clung on to the idea that his fate was somehow not permanent, and he would one day be free. That part of him was an idiot.

He also wondered if he was alive, and if it mattered. He certainly didn't feel alive. And if he was alive, he certainly didn't want to be. But there was nothing he could do about that. All he could do now was live through the torture until the day that the universe and everything in it, afterlife included, finally collapsed upon itself like a dying star.

Realizing he had been pacing around Clock Town for what was probably hours, he stopped. He didn't know why he began walking in the first place. He had no destination. He had no purpose. He looked up into the night sky, seeing the moon stare back at him. Even after all this time, it still stayed glued in its highest position, never once moving. He briefly wondered if he could make it move, but didn't bother trying. No matter what happened, he would still be there, living the same nightmare. It just didn't matter anymore.

Ben closed his eyes. When did he become like this? How long had it been since the child inside him died? He wondered if he could even call himself Ben anymore. He had changed so much, if was hard to consider himself even a human. He was more like a monster now. Everything had become so incredibly numb, it sometimes felt like he had no emotion at all. He was just an empty husk of the boy he once was.

Ben stood in place for what felt like an eternity, but for him, everything felt like an eternity. Nothing was fast. It was like time itself was against him, making him suffer. Making him live through the loneliness forever.

That was when Ben felt it. The other presence. It immediately put him on edge, like he was suddenly being watched closely. He tried shrugging it off, assuming it was just the Elegy Statue warping behind him.

And then he heard a voice. Not text, but an actual voice. The kind that can only come from another human being.

"Well, aren't you an interesting sight."


	11. Laughter

Chapter 11: Laughter

~Dear Ben,

I can't do this anymore. I can't just keep lying to you like this. Every time I write to you, I have to pretend that everything is okay when it's really not. I'm so, so sorry Ben. I'm a horrible sister. I should have just been honest with you from the beginning. I suppose it's better late than never, but that doesn't excuse anything. I just hope you can forgive me.

All this time, I've been acting like I've been meaning to play Majora's Mask. That was a lie. I _did _want to play it originally, when you were still around. I'll admit, the game did seem kinda fun. But after you died, I just couldn't bear the thought of playing it alone. It just reminded me so much of you, I couldn't help but feel miserable whenever I looked at that cartridge. Even now, I don't think I'd be able to play it without breaking down. It's like... if I played it, I would somehow be dishonouring you. Or maybe not. It's just hard, because all this time I've been telling myself that I've moved on and accepted your passing, but when I think about playing the game, I just revert back to that scared little girl just waking up from a coma. I really wish I could stay strong. For you. For Mom. For Dad. But I just can't. I'm sorry.

In the last letter, I planned on telling you about the garage sale, but I was too scared. It was just to get rid of some old stuff and make extra money. But one of things I sold was Majora's Mask. I knew I was never going to be able to play that game. I figured that somebody might as well enjoy it. I wound up selling it to an old man, probably buying it for his grandchildren. He even said that the game was perfect, and that it was just what he was looking for. Honestly, I more expected a game collector to buy it, since it's gotten pretty old. Compared to newer Zelda titles like Twilight Princess and the one they announced last E3, I didn't think kids would even look at an N64 game, let alone play it. So things turned out better than I expected, since somewhere, a kid is playing Majora's Mask and having the time of their life, just like you did.

I'm just making up excuses to justify myself. But really, I feel awful. I shouldn't have lied to you for so long. From now on, no secrets. I promise.

Love, Serena~

X

"Well, aren't you an interesting sight."

Ben froze in place. Did he really just hear that? The sound of a real human voice other than his own? No, that was impossible. He was alone. He would always be alone. That was the way it always was, the way it always would be. Trapped in an endless night of solitude, forever left to wait for the impossible chance that something would change.

But was this the change he had waited all this time for? Or was it simply his mind playing tricks on him, proving that his psyche had finally snapped in two? There was only one way to find out. Slowly, very slowly, he turned around, having no idea what to expect behind him.

It was a person.

That much should not have been surprising. After all, he had distinctly heard the person's voice. All this proved was that he wasn't completely delusional. But the mere fact that another human being was actually in his presence after such a long time of complete solitude was so jarring, it actually took several long moments for the information to fully register in his brain. It was a human. Not a character in the game, though that itself would be considered a blessing, but an actual person from the real world. How this person actually got to this desolate land was a mystery, but at that moment, it didn't matter. Because for the first time, there was just the slightest chance that he could be freed.

However, this person did not quite fit anyone's view of a saviour. In just one glance, Ben could tell that the two of them were complete strangers. Something about the person in front of him seemed oddly memorable, like he'd recall his face after meeting just once. He was an older man, definitely old enough to pass off as his grandfather. Though, if he was anybody's relative, he most likely wasn't the grandfather that was kind and beloved. Something about him was just... displeasing. Maybe it had something to do with his face. Or perhaps his posture. Or the way he grinned at Ben with his small crooked smile. But Ben knew that looks could be deceiving. Or maybe he was so relieved to have company that he was willing to ignore his instincts.

Suddenly, the man let out a chuckle. "The look on your face is just priceless," he said. Ben then realized that his jaw had gone slack. Embarrassed, he closed his mouth, and tried his best to regain whatever composure he had to begin with.

Slowly getting over his initial shock, Ben narrowed his wide eyes slightly. "Who are you?" he said warily. There was no telling who this person was or why he was there. He could be there to save him, or send him to an even worse punishment. This was a stranger, and possibly even the cause of all his pain and misery.

And then the man began to laugh loudly. He laughed long and hard, which felt like much more laughter than what was warranted, especially since Ben had said nothing humorous. Or maybe he had. Perhaps he had become so disjointed from society that he could no longer understand the concept of humour. That didn't seem too farfetched. "He speaks!" the man teased. "And goes straight for the big question, too!" His laughter slowly began to die down.

Ben tried his best to remain calm. This man could be his ticket out of the forsaken game. He had to be sure to play his cards right. "What's so funny?" he asked, trying not to sound rude.

The man finally ceased laughing. "Ah, sorry. That was disrespectful of me. One thing you ought to know about me off the bat is that I'm a terrible guest," he apologized. And then, with a slight limp to his walk, he hobbled over to where Ben stood, stopping just in front of him. Ben just stood in place, still wary of the man's motives. "And my name is a tad complicated. I have been given many new names over time. But nowadays, most people just call me the Old Man." He then stuck his hand out at Ben, intending for him to shake it.

Ben just stared at the extended hand, studying it for several seconds, before finally shaking it. "Ben Drewett," he responded, trying his best to act confident in front of this strange man. He wasn't quite sure why, but he did not want to come off as uncertain in front of him.

The Old Man raised a brow. "Drewett? Not Mori?" he questioned. Ben's eyes went wide. This man knew about his family? How would he know that? And, more importantly, what else did he know about him? The man just laughed again at Ben's reaction. "Come on kid, don't you think I did a little research before coming here?"

He wasn't quite sure what to make of that reaction, for it only created further questions. Ben looked into the Old Man's eyes. Now, he realized that the man's right eye was glazed over; most likely blind. "How did you get here?" he asked, forcing himself to look into his left eye out of whatever politeness he had.

He laughed again. He seemed to do that a lot. "You just jump straight to the good questions, don't you? I like that. Never been fond of empty casualties myself, either," he said with a friendly smile. Ben just nodded, not knowing how else to respond. Something about the man was very strange, besides the fact that he just arrived out of the blue. "I got here because I have certain skills. Ones that very few humans seem to possess nowadays." His tone suddenly became serious.

Ben couldn't tell what this man was. And more importantly, he wasn't sure if he was being saved or not. Or maybe the Old Man was just completely insane, and simply got there the same unknown way he had. He seemed to be acting rather casual through the whole situation, as if he had experienced it before. But as long as there was a chance he could be freed, he decided he would play along with the seemingly crazy man. "What kind of skills?" he asked.

A strange twinkle seemed to appear in the Old Man's eye as he smirked. "Tell me, kid. Do you believe in magic?"

Ben blinked. Was the man seriously implying that he was magical? "No, that stuff is all fake. Like monsters and witches and ghosts. Just fairy tales."

For a brief moment, everything went completely quiet. Even the dreadful music in the background seemed to still in the sudden silence. And then, the Old Man started to laugh, harder than he ever had before. This man was starting to get on Ben's nerves. A lot. What could possibly so funny to him? But he had to remain calm. His actions may determine his fate for the rest of his existence. So he waited patiently through the intense laughter, not saying anything more, until finally it began to die down.

"Heh, you _really _have no idea, do you?" he said, still chuckling. "I'd hate to break it to ya, kid, but you've been dead for a _long _time," he laughed again.

As those words escaped the Old Man's mouth, Ben could almost hear his own mind shatter. It was true. He was dead. He'd drowned himself in the lake. Ben had considered this as a possibility. In fact, as time went on, it slowly began to seem more and more probable. But hearing it come out of another person's mouth seemed to make it feel so incredibly and totally real to him. There was no denying it now. It was why he felt no pain. It was why he couldn't die. His life had already ended. It was over. He could never go back to how things used to be.

"Oh, cheer up, kid. It's not that bad, is it? I mean, you must be used to this 'being dead' thing by now, even if you didn't know you are. In fact, the only thing that's changed is that now you have a name for it. Really, you should be thanking me," the Old Man said not so comfortingly.

Ben felt his face heat up. The emotions that he had been working hard to keep at bay were beginning to seep through. He felt his hands form into fists, clenching them tightly by his sides. This man had no right to tell him how to feel or act. He wanted so badly to yell, but he knew he couldn't. He had to play it safe if he wanted any more information from this blatantly moonstruck man. But his random fits of laughter and rude behaviour was quickly getting on his nerves. "Why did you come here?"

The Old Man started laughing again, like every word Ben said was absolutely hilarious.

Ben glared at the Old man, like every sound he made brought forth a new wave of fury.

Ben could feel himself losing his temper, but he didn't care anymore. He felt as a wave of intense heat and energy washed over him, bathing him in the resentment he was quickly forming for the infuriating man. "Alright, that's it. If you're going to come here out of nowhere, then you'd better have something to say. I have waited here for what feels like _years, _just waiting for anything, literally _anything_ to happen. And then you come along, acting like you know everything about everything and treating me like some clueless idiot who needs to put up with you. Well, guess what? I'm _not _going to got mocked by some- some psychotic old man just for his own entertainment. I have waited _too long _to put up with this bullshit, so if you have some sort of reason for being here, you'd better say it right here and right now. And if you don't, then I'll make sure that you never try to set foot here again. So you'd better say something I want to hear, and if not, then get the _fuck _out of my game!" Ben screamed.

He had no idea where that came from. It was as if some sort of fire inside of him had suddenly burst from him and onto this strange man. He could feel his fists shaking in anger as his glare burned into the Old Man. He could feel the heat rolling off of him, like lava from a volcano that had finally erupted after years of remaining dormant.

It one, two, three moments for him to realize he was literally on fire.

Orange flames flickered in front of his vision, covering him in a thick armour of energy. As his eyes widened, he looked down to see that not only was his body set aflame, but sparks of electricity shot through him like a human plasma ball. Slowly, he lifted an arm up to his face, watching as the flames billowed brightly. It didn't hurt at all, but he could still feel the heat against his cool skin. And then, through the flames, he noticed the Old Man. Carefully, he lowered his arm to look at him. He too was on fire. And he too didn't seem to be in pain. In fact, he just continued to stand there, just smiling.

As Ben's anger was replaced by surprise, he noticed the flames begin to die out and the electricity reduce to tiny sparks. Slowly, the energy surrounding the both of them disappeared, leaving them both alone.

It was the Old Man who finally spoke. "Yep, I think you'll do just fine."

Ben looked up into his left eye. "I'm sorry..." He didn't mean to blow up. And he certainly didn't mean to set anyone on fire. He didn't even know he _could _set anyone on fire. Ben almost felt like he could cry, knowing he'd just ruined his chances of being freed.

"Don't apologize," said the Old Man in a tone that could almost be considered comforting, "At first I wasn't so sure about you. But now I see you've got lots of untapped power to work with. Develop some of that, and you'll be perfect."

Ben narrowed his eyes. He was about to ask a question, but was quickly interrupted. "Oh, and since you asked, I'll tell you why I'm here. But you'll have to listen. I'm not one to repeat myself." Ben nodded silently. He didn't want to take any more chances with this strange man. And, to be honest, he was curious about the Old Man. He obviously wasn't normal. And he doubted he was there to save Ben purely out of the kindness of his heart. He clearly had some sort of reason for coming there, one that Ben wanted to know.

"Alright, first of all, have you ever heard of the Moon Children?" Ben shook his head. "Figured. Nobody knows about the Moon Children. We've been trying to change that, but I'll get to that later. Now, I won't bore you with the details, seeing as though you're beyond saving, and just get to the point," he stated. "All you need to know is that the Moon Children is an... organization... that I belong to. Me and the other Children have been working hard to spread our message to the world. But, unfortunately, we have mostly met with critics of our message. And recently, some have chosen to outright attack us through any means they can, purely due to a disagreement of beliefs. And, being such a small organization, we have little methods of combating these attacks," he said. Ben noticed that his voice held a hint of pride when he spoke of the Moon Children, whatever it was.

Ben tilted his head slightly. "What kind of message are you trying to spread?" he asked. What could these mysterious people be doing that would cause others to attack them?

The Old Man smiled slightly. "Again, won't bore you with details. The whole truth of the organization is a bit complex, but all you need to know is that soon the great goddess Luna shall fall from the sky in the form of the moon, ending life on Earth as we know it."

Ben blinked. And blinked again. A third time, but it did nothing to dull the complete shock he felt right then. The man in front of him, who he already suspected to be mad, was now telling him with complete sincerity that the moon was crashing. That was quite literally the plot to a video game, yet he could tell just by looking at the Old Man's face that he truly believed every word of it. And the Moon Children. If the man's words were true, then it wasn't just any organization. It sounded more like a society. Or a cult. Yes, it was a cult. Who else would worship some obscure goddess who was about to end the world? No wonder they were being attacked; even the most forward-thinking people would see their beliefs as absurd.

"You're crazy," Ben said to the man, who immediately began to laugh his iconic hearty laugh once again.

"Ha, trust me, you're not the first to say that. And you're lucky you're dead, kid, or else I'd be trying to make you a believer right now. But since it's too late to save you, I won't bother. All that matters is that you help us out," he said. Ben narrowed his eyes. How could he help this insane cult in any way? He was trapped inside a video game. He had no way of interacting with the outside world whatsoever.

The Old Man seemed to know what Ben was thinking. "I've told you we've been getting attacked lately. The integrity of the organization is weak. If we don't do something about it, then soon we'll have no way of spreading our message. We can't just continue our peaceful ways. If we want people to truly believe, then we must start punishing the nonbelievers. And what better way to do that than with a paranormal entity?"

Ben narrowed his eyes. "You want me to... haunt people?" he asked. He supposed it made sense. He was a ghost, after all. But he had no idea what the act of haunting would actually entail. How would he be able to harm anyone from inside an abandoned game? And, most importantly, why would he do that sort of thing for some crazy cult he'd only now just heard about? "Why? What's in it for me?"

The Old Man snickered. Ben was beginning to get used to the random fits of laughter. "I did say I have certain skills, right? What some people call magic? Name your price, kid. I'll try to accommodate."

Ben thought for a long moment. If he could have anything, he'd want to be alive again with his family, just like how things used to be. But that was long gone. Somehow, coming back to life after all that time just seemed... wrong to him. Like it was immoral. But if he couldn't have that, he would at least want to be free from the cursed game. Be free to do whatever it was that ghosts normally do. Maybe he could even pretend he was still alive if he tried hard enough. That was what he wanted. Not to be alive, but to feel alive. To be released from the shackles of this horribly beautiful game that he both adored and despised. But this man... he couldn't be trusted. He fully admitted that he was part of some insane cult, and wanted to use Ben to take vengeance those who opposed it. Could Ben really do that? Hurt complete strangers just for the chance to be free?

No. No he couldn't.

"I want to be free. I want to leave the game," Ben said. The Old Man did not laugh like Ben expected him to, but rather just nodded calmly.

"You're in luck. That's definitely something I can do," he said. Ben did not bother hiding the pure joy he felt as a smile spread across his face. For the first time in so long, he felt... happy. Not just numb from pain and sadness. Completely and totally happy. The man smirked. "I assume we have a deal, then?" he said. Ben nodded vigorously.

"Great," the Old Man said. "But before we start, I hope you don't mind if I give you a bit of a... let's call it a test. To see what you're really capable of. I know you're powerful. Probably more powerful than even you know. But I ought to know what I'm dealing with. So I'll start you out with a practice victim. If I like what I see, we'll have a partnership and you'll be able to roam the Earth like a more traditional ghost. But if I don't, well... tough luck, kid."

Ben nodded solemnly. "I suppose that's fair," he stated. The man flashed him a warm smile.

"Good to hear. I'll be giving away your cartridge as soon as I can. Next time this game turns on, you'll know that your game has begun." And then he vanished. No warning. No goodbye. He was just gone. It was like he was never there. But Ben knew he was, because now his mind was flooded with an onslaught of new emotions he'd never needed to feel before.

He was going to be freed.

He was being used as a weapon.

Ben knew that when the game turned on, he would have to torture somebody. He wasn't sure what he would do, but it would have to impress the Old Man. He didn't want to hurt anybody, but he would need to. He had no choice. So he would go along with it, even though he knew it was immoral. He would find a way to make this mystery person as miserable as possible, even though he or she wouldn't deserve it. The Old Man would give him the ability to leave the game and go wherever he wanted.

And then he would get himself as far away from the Moon Children as possible.

He didn't want to hurt people, but he _was_ willing to betray them.


	12. Power

Chapter 12: Power

~Dear Ben,

Wow, it's been a while. I am really sorry. I guess I just got caught up in life and stuff. Being an adult kinda sucks. But not too much. I mean, sure, I don't have as much free time and I have a lot more responsibilities, but I also have a lot more freedom. It's a nice thing to have, really, since most of the later part of my childhood was constantly spent under Dad's close guard. But now that I don't have to deal with it anymore, I think I can admit that it wasn't as bad as I made it out to be. I just spent so much of my earlier childhood essentially raising myself, with Mom and Dad working so much. Now that I'm older, I can say that I was being a bit of a spoiled brat about the whole thing. Dad was just trying to protect me, after all.

You know, even though I know it isn't healthy, I ofter think of a lot of 'what-ifs' about you and Mom. There's the obvious 'what-if' of if the car crash never happened. Both you and Mom would still be here, obviously. Both our parents would continue to be distant, and I don't think our relationship would be as strong as Dad and mine's has become. We would both grow up normally, but never really think much about our parents. And sometimes I wonder what things would be like if you hadn't drowned. You would still be alive when I woke up, and we would still be together. Dad would be overprotective of both of us, I think, instead of just me. Because even though we aren't really related, and you were never legally adopted, I know Dad thinks of you as his son. And sometimes I wonder what it would be like if the car crash never happened, but you drowned anyways. That one always makes me the saddest. I wish I knew why you did it. I wish I knew why you didn't just wait for me? Was it because Mom died? You two were never that close. And you must have known I wasn't dead. I wonder if you were depressed before the accident, and I just ignored all the warning signs. But the worst thing is that no matter what was or could have been, your death is always my fault. I wasn't there for you, and now you're gone.

Oh, great. Now I'm crying. Why do I do this to myself? I try so hard to ignore thoughts like these, but they just seem to sneak up on me. And now I feel awful. I'm sorry, but I need to stop. I'll write to you again sometime, when I'm feeling less dreary. Until then, I love you, and I miss you.

Love, Serena~

X

Ben was a terrible person.

There were so many reasons why he was terrible that it was hard to focus on just one. He had done so many horrible things, and intended to do so many more. A lot of those reasons had to do with his past. For so many years, he shunned everyone who tried to reach out to him, instead wanting to be left in solitude. And then, he couldn't stay strong when his Mom died and Serena was sent to the hospital. For a short time he attempted to endure the mental strain, but eventually he gave up and took the coward's way out. By doing that, he abandoned both his Dad and Serena when they both needed him the most. And then, during his time in isolation, he let himself go even further down his little rabbit hole, until he was so mentally strained that he could hardly call himself the same person.

And now, he was once again about to commit another crime. He had willingly agreed to torture a random, innocent person just for his own personal benefit. He wasn't even sure what he would do, or even if he could physically cause pain and misery with his strange and undefined powers. But he was going to try. He was going to do everything in his power to make this total stranger miserable. He had no intentions of backing out. Not once had he wavered in his decision. And that scared him.

And once he was done, assuming that he was able to haunt this random person, he was going to betray the Old Man. Although he was willing to harm one soul in order to be freed, he wasn't willing to do so for everyone that opposed the Moon Children. He didn't know exactly how many people that would be or how often he would need to do it, but one was already too much. He felt bad for lying to the Old Man, but he didn't have any other choice. He was already a terrible person. He didn't need to become a villain.

_ You're the bad guy. And when you're bad, you just run. That's fine, right?_

Ben shook his head. "No, that's not fine. I can't run away from my problems. I need to do this," he said with certainty to the text in front of him. He had long since stopped feeling silly for speaking to the game. For him, it was his only true form of company, even if he was really just talking to himself. It kept him human for just a little while longer.

Then, without any warning whatsoever, he was thrust into complete darkness.

Ben could feel the ground beneath him suddenly disappear, leaving him to simply float about in an empty void. At once he could feel a new wave of electricity wash through him, as if all the energy that was previously around him had rushed inside his body, just waiting to be released once more. It was a new level of raw power he had never felt before, yet he knew at once that he enjoyed this new sensation. For a moment, he wondered if he had finally been allowed out of the cartridge and to a higher plane of existence. But then, a light appeared through the darkness. It wasn't a light at the end of a dark tunnel, but a logo. The logo for the Nintendo 64, which appeared every time the cartridge was turned on.

Ben's game had begun.

He had no idea what to do.

Ben watched silently as this mystery person started their game. They had simply chosen the name 'Link', giving him no information on the player's identity. He watched as the opening cut scene played, with Skull Kid stealing Epona and the Ocarina of Time with the help of Tatl and Tael. He watched as the player took control of Link, playing the game as it was meant to be played. And the player had no idea that Ben was there, following his every move.

For a while, Ben nearly forgot his mission, his goals and even his years of misery as new sounds and movements and colours flooded into the previously desolate game. For the first time since his death, the game was so full of life. It was no longer that wasteland he had spent his afterlife wandering aimlessly. The music was changed to its normal cheerful tunes, the world was filled with vibrant life. This was the Majora's Mask that he adored. He followed 'Link' wherever he went, completely mesmerized in the game. Ben even managed a smile, remembering the days when he would play the game for hours on end, enthralled by all the world had to offer, with Serena sitting there by his side. Although he knew those days were long gone, the nostalgia made it seem so fresh in his memory. It was as if he wasn't watching another player, but rather a recording of his former self.

This feeling seemed so real to him, it nearly became the truth. Sometimes he would become so lost in bliss that he would cause the text to slip up. Instead of saying 'Link', the game would occasionally display 'BEN' instead. He didn't think much of it. He already knew he could alter the game unconsciously. He didn't see the harm in it. It wasn't hurting anyone. He just let himself pretend that everything was okay, and nothing could go wrong. This was the fun and happy Majora's Mask, where everything was absolutely perfect.

He should have been more careful. Oh god, why wasn't he more careful? If he had just let the game work normally, then nothing would have happened. He wouldn't have lost everything.

Shortly after beating the Woodfall Temple, the player went back to the main menu. Ben watched closely, wondering what the player was doing. Had he known what was about to happen, he would have stopped it. But he didn't, so he only watched.

He only watched as the player pressed the erase button.

He only watched as the file 'BEN' was selected.

He only watched as the last thing he still had from his lifetime was destroyed.

It was gone. It was gone forever, and he just watched as it happened. He should have done something to stop it. He probably could have. He was powerful. But instead he just watched the screen as it happened. All that time playing the game, getting the masks, awakening the giants, feeling happy. It was all lost. Removed from the very coding of the game in just a few simple button presses.

Ben could only stare in silence while the stranger continued to play his game. This person had no idea what he had just done. A small part of Ben knew that it was nobody's fault. But that part of Ben was small, and shrinking more and more rapidly with each passing day. More of him felt... numb. A little sad, maybe, but not enough to cry. He was drained. He had lost so much already, what was one more thing to him?

But most of him felt hatred.

He did nothing to deserve this. He never did anything to hurt this person. All he did was watch him silently. Other than occasionally altering the text, he did nothing to even make his presence known. And yet still he was punished. Punished for crimes he never committed, just like he had been all his life. Always having things taken from him by fate. But now, finally, fate had a person attached to it. A person that he could punish right back. All his life, he could do nothing but put up with life and all it put him through. Now he could finally have his vengeance.

Ben smiled. Then, he laughed. It was a cold, spiteful laugh, devoid of all humour. He couldn't help it. He knew he should feel sad, but instead he was happy. Angry beyond comprehension, but also happy. Finally, it was his turn to control fate. He didn't need to sit back as misery was thrust upon him. If this person was willing to destroy his life, then he better be prepared to face the consequences. Nobody was going to hurt Ben anymore. Not without being hurt right back.

For a long time, Ben feared that he was losing his mind. He worried that his time in solitude would take his toll on him. But now, he didn't care. He didn't care if his actions were normal, or if he was changing. All he cared about was taking a stand. He could finally give back to the world what it had given to him in the form of this unfortunate player. It didn't matter if he would be freed or not. It didn't matter where his soul was confined. This strange combination of hatred and joy warped his senses, and he loved every moment of it.

Ben was a terrible person.

Ben was finally snapped back to reality when he noticed the tune playing in the background. It was the same never ending warped song he always heard. He then noticed that it was night again outside where it was previously day. The player must have turned the game off again without him noticing. Ben didn't mind much. He would be back again soon enough. He had waited so long for the chance to enact his revenge, surely he could wait a while longer. Besides, he would need time to prepare.

_On my kingdom... shine the light of justice..._

Ben smirked at the text in front of him. It sometimes amazed him how much truth hid in those quotes. For the game was his kingdom, and soon the light of justice would be shone. The player would learn just how powerful Ben truly was.

X

It took hardly any time at all for the player to pick up the controller again. Ben wished he was given more time to brainstorm ideas, but wasn't at all upset about it. He could feel the excitement leaking out of him like a broken faucet. He couldn't help it. It was finally time.

For a while, he simply watched. But this time, he was not simply caught up in his nostalgia. This time, he made sure to note every action of the player. Pay attention to every more he made. Find out just what this person was like, so he could maybe use it to his advantage. The player seemed to know what he was doing. He never seemed to get stuck anywhere, and knew exactly where he was supposed to go. Probably an experienced Zelda player. He also tended to ignore things that weren't essential to the game. He would frequently leave rupees to despawn even without a full wallet. He only collected masks that would be useful for the game, ignoring the ones that didn't do much. Part of that annoyed Ben. He knew the game was all about the side quests, and the rewards didn't matter as much as the adventures they brought. He was playing the game all wrong. If he needed any other reason to dislike the player, this was it.

During his observations, he noticed the player doing something odd. Partway through the Snowhead Temple, he exited back to Clock Town for no apparent reason. What was even stranger was that the time was almost up for the final day. The player could probably complete the temple if he knew what he was doing, which he obviously did. When there were only five minutes left until doomsday, the player decided to look inside the telescope in the Observatory. It seemed like he _wanted _to die. When the game was at its final moments, he continued to look into the sky. Ben wouldn't allow it. If this person was going to die, it was going to be on his own personal agenda.

When the very final seconds began to strike, Ben mustered all of his power to send them away. He didn't care where they went, just anywhere he could play his game without having to deal with a crashing moon.

The world faded to a strange room he had never seen before. The room was large and empty, save for himself, 'Link', and the Skull Kid floating high above. There were no doors at all, like it could only be entered through warping. The walls morphed through a full spectrum of colours, though the default seemed to be a deep royal blue. It reminded him of some sort of odd circus tent, but with a much more sinister undertone. It occurred to him that this must be an area he never lived to play to, near the end of the game. He never did manage to beat that last temple. And then his game was destroyed.

He then noticed that something was missing. Something that was never really in the way, but never at any point left the game. The timer. It was always there, looming within sight, letting you know that soon all would be lost. But now, it was gone. Ben knew he hadn't done that. He had no need to. If anything could be used to mentally torment the player, it would be the impermanence of life and inevitable destruction. The only reason the timer would be missing is if... the player himself somehow managed to do it.

The truth hit Ben in the face so hard he nearly lost balance. That was why the player was acting so odd. He was _purposely_ trying to break the game. Wasn't there some sort of glitch that removed the timer from the game? Ben couldn't quite remember, both because of all the time passed and because he never used glitches to help him. They were immoral. It wasn't how the game was meant to be played. This player, he truly had no sense of right and wrong. He only did whatever was convenient for him with no regard to anyone or anything else. It was a good thing their paths crossed, and Ben could correct him. It was like their meeting was meant to happen.

_You're not sure why, but you apparently had a reservation..._

The player only wandered around the room aimlessly. He obviously had no idea what was happening to him. Ben couldn't stop smiling.

_Go to the lair of the temple's boss? Yes/No._

The player tried selecting no, only to find nothing happened. Ben wouldn't let him. This person had no choice but to feel his full wrath. When the player finally caught on to his game and selected yes, Ben instantly made the screen fade to white. Then, in black text, he displayed the text 'Dawn of a New Day'. Underneath, he intended to put in '0 hours remaining' to signify that the player's time was now up, but it instead came out as a series of long lines.

Ben raised a brow at the unintentional glitch. It seemed that he still wasn't in full control of the game. He momentarily thought back to when 'BEN' was being accidentally shown in text instead of Link's name. It seemed that, for some reason, the game was easier for him to corrupt now. Before, he could summon items and events with his mind when he really focused, but now, it was like the world was bending to his will. Not knowing exactly what his powers were, that could have meant any number of things. Maybe his glitching ability was fuelled by intense emotions like joy or anger. Or maybe the electricity running the game also powered himself. He really had no idea. He wished he had asked the Old Man more questions. As annoying and demented as he was, he seemed to know more about Ben's situation that he actually told. As much as he could pretend he was in control, especially while playing with this stranger, his fate still rested in the hands of the Old Man. A disturbing thought, but at least for this short time he could pretend to be strong.

Ben figured it was time to introduce the player to hell. The two of them appeared in Clock Town, a place Ben was very familiar with after an indefinite amount of time trapped within coding. Every person and enemy was done, leaving the town empty. Empty, except for him, though the player was still unaware of that. And overhead, an odd, discordant song steadily played in an eternal loop. For the player, the tune must have sounded completely foreign, but for Ben, it was his lullaby. The song that he had began to call by a simple nickname, the Song of Unhealing. Ben was home again, and now he had company. Company to finally share his pain with. And, only by joining him in his misery, would Ben ever manage to be free. Not long ago, Ben considered this a means to an end, but now he knew that the player was worthy of suffering. He destroyed his last ties to his former self. To Ben, this punishment was more than fair.

Ben let out a small chuckle. At last, he could spread his beautiful game to the rest of the world. Because if he deserved his fate, then so did every other so-called 'innocent' person.

As the player wandered around town, the landscape unintentionally became more and more warped. Textures would disappear, only to appear out of place somewhere else. At one point, the ground completely disappeared, leaving the two gamers floating. Ben couldn't help it. He could feel the intense power and hatred surge through his body, and it felt so amazing. Every second, the game would just break even more, destroying his childhood game but also creating something equally as beautiful.

Ben followed closely as the player made his way to the Laundry Pool. 'Link' made a quick beeline towards the water. It took only a moment for Ben to realize the player's intentions. He thought that, if he killed himself, everything would somehow be better. He would respawn somewhere else, and the game would fix itself automatically. An idea with not much logic behind it, but rather a last ditch effort to fix things.

Watching the avatar run towards the water made Ben feel... strange. In a bizarre way, he could relate to this stranger. He didn't want to. The player was the embodiment of every unjust thing in his life and death. But in that moment, he couldn't help but feel the smallest glimmer of empathy. He quickly pushed the feeling aside. Pity or not, this needed to be done if he wanted to be freed from the game. Hating the player would make things easier.

Snapping back to reality, Ben stopped the avatar in its tracks, making it grab its head. He couldn't let the player drown. He just couldn't. There was no way he was strong enough to watch that. He mentally tried to will something to happen. Anything at all. Anything to distract the player from his mission. In the briefest of moments, the Happy Mask Salesman appeared on screen along with Skull Kid's shriek, which came so sudden it made Ben jump. And then, in an instant, everything went back to how it was, with the player at the edge of the water. But, even though very little happened, and the act of suicide could easily be continued, the player turned away an ran off to another part of Clock Town without a moment's hesitation.

For a moment Ben stood there, completely perplexed. But then, in the corner of his eye, he noticed something. He turned around to see the Elegy Statue. "Oh," Ben spoke out loud. That must have been what deterred the player. Ben quickly disregarded the soulless soldier, eager to follow the player. But, as he walked, he noticed the statue warp behind him again, now a little closer. Ben thought for one, two, three moments, before coming up with a brilliant idea. He could actually make his presence known. Show the player that he was not playing a broken cartridge, but he was being controlled by an entity far more powerful than he had ever fathomed.

As the player continued to hopelessly wander the desolate town, Ben followed very closely behind. He was practically breathing into Link's ear as he meandered about, but the player had no way of knowing that. However, the player could easily see the Elegy Statue that haunted both of them, always appearing right behind Link as he ran away in what Ben hoped was fear. At this point, there was no way the player didn't realize his presence. He was everywhere. Always following. Always ready.

Every moment, Ben couldn't help but enjoy his new pastime. As horrible as it sounded, he loved ruining the player's game and replacing it with his own twisted version. He liked the thought of making the person miserable. He deserved it. He ruined his save file. That was worse than anything Ben had ever done in his lifetime, yet he was only ever met with misery. He was not really doing wrong, like he thought he would be. No, he was just equalizing the world, enforcing karma onto this selfish human being.

Soon Ben became bored with running in circles and decided to take his guest to a new location. Without warning, a shriek resonated throughout the game as it faded to black. Once again, the text 'Dawn of a New Day' appeared, and, though he focused all his energy into manipulating the subtext, it once came out as a series of lines. Ben glared at the white letters in disapproval, but quickly dismissed it as the newest part of his game came into view.

The two of them appeared at the top of the Clock Tower, with the moon ready to crash and destroy everything (though the timer was still missing, thanks to the player's shallowness). Like usual, Skull Kid levitated above them. For a while, the player just looked around, trying to find whatever part of the game Ben had destroyed, but the only thing that was different from the original game was the reversed music that reverberated around them. Ben grinned, knowing how confused the player must be.

Finally, the player equipped his bow and arrows and fired at the Skull Kid, who reeled back upon impact. Not that doing so would help him in any way. No, Ben made certain that there would be no escape.

_That won't do you any good. Hee, hee._

And then, using only his mind, Ben levitated the avatar into the air, lifting his feet just above the ground. For the briefest of moments, he just let Link float there, letting the inevitable doom sink in. And then, focusing all of his hatred and fury for both the player and life, he set Link on fire. The tunic-clad Hylian instantly dropped to the ground, flames billowing from his corpse as electrical currents cocooned him. He let the camera stay on the deceased boy for a while longer, hearing a small chuckle escape from him, before finally cutting to black.

Instead of bringing his unwanted to another location, the two of them appeared atop the Clock Tower once again, with no differences. Admittedly, Ben did this just to throw the player off. He couldn't let himself become too predictable, or else he would no longer be feared. The player ran around the small area, smashing a pot as if it would somehow fix anything. Once again, Ben set the player on fire again, instantly killing him. The world faded to black once again.

For a third time, they reappeared at that same spot. Ben wanted too see just what the player would do. It was becoming so much fun to see how his actions impacted the player. It was almost like a science experiment, but infinite times more amusing. This time, the player decided to pull out the Ocarina of Time, an interesting choice for sure. For a moment, Ben paused his plans, curious as to what song the player thought would relieve him of his pain.

But, as the notes slowly formed into a song, Ben realized that the player could actually win. His eyes widened in sudden shock and fear as the Song of Healing sounded. As quickly as his reflexes allowed, he set Link on fire once again, killing him before the final note. Ben sighed in relief, feeling a small headache begin to emerge and then disappear. He knew that if he had waited only a fraction of a second longer, he would have been writhing in agony on the ground like he had done before. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let this player win.

Going back to reality, Ben noticed that the game had began to chug. It seemed all his glitches were taking a toll on the little cartridge, and it was beginning to have a hard time performing all the tasks it was never meant to do. As much as Ben loved finally having his vengeance on the world, he knew he couldn't risk destroying the game. He wasn't sure what would happen to him if it did, but he had a feeling it would be less than pleasant. It was time to end this. For now, at least.

For a fourth and final time, they appeared on that tower, but this time it was different. Link's body laid on the ground, completely immobile, with one arm outstretched towards the screen in desperation. He left it on that screen for a long time, making sure that the implications of the image were realized. Ben had killed Link. And, hopefully, the player would think that he was next.

Finally, he let the screen cut to black, restarting the game. But before it restarted, he granted the player one small message. A message that he told to himself many times, but now felt he should share with this unfortunate soul.

_You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?_

As the game restarted, Ben took the opportunity to toy with the save files. Give the player a taste of his own medicine. He deleted the file named 'Link' and replaced it with one labelled as a simple message, 'YOUR TURN'.

To Ben's surprise, the player did not quit, but selected the new file. Having no plans beyond what he had done, he simply sent them both back to the Clock Tower with Link still dead on the floor. He left it there for several moments before restarting the game once again, hoping this would finally convince the player to leave. Honestly, he didn't understand why he hadn't turned the game off long ago, but he had no need to complain.

When the file select screen returned, Ben created a new addition. Underneath 'YOUR TURN' was a second file, which he named 'BEN'. It wasn't the original file. That was completely lost, never to be recovered. But he created a file under the same name, hoping it would show the player just who put him through that horrifying experience.

Finally, the game was turned off.

Ben felt a cold smile spread across his face. He had done it. After all this time, he had finally done it. All his life, he was forced to submit to whatever life threw at him, but now he had his revenge. Sure, it was only one person, but it was enough to satisfy his newly discovered lust for chaos. He let out a small laugh, returning to his abandoned Clock Town. That egotistic rat had felt his wrath. And soon, many, many more would. He would become more powerful. He would become God. He would become everything.

_You... What makes you... happy? I wonder... What makes you happy... Does it make... others happy, too?_

Ben paused his laughter, letting his smile fade. He had never seen those words before, but they seemed almost as though they were written specifically for him. He thought about them for a while. "That... doesn't matter. I've been miserable for so long, why should _they _be happy?" But as those words left his mouth, the implications suddenly hit him. That player, he erased his save file without thinking. He had no idea who he was and, more importantly, that he still existed within his old cartridge.

He didn't deserve that fate.

But Ben loved it so much.

What kind of monster had Ben become? He knew he had changed, but to enjoy the pain of others? That was just twisted. Ben hugged his body tightly, slowly realizing that his actions were not truly driven by revenge like he had told himself. Everything he forced himself to think was a lie. As much as he hated it, the truth was obvious. He had become a sadist. He enjoyed every moment of tormenting that innocent person that just happened to come across the wrong cartridge and just happened to annoy him.

Feeling his body begin to shake, Ben brought his hands up to his face, trying to cover up the tears that formed at the corners of his eyes. He stood there for a long time, finally understanding just what kind of a person he had become.

Ben was a terrible person.


	13. Reflection

Chapter 13: Reflection

~To my dearest brother,

I hope you know how much I love you. I didn't say it enough when you were still here with me, and now I don't think I can say it enough. Every time I write one of these letters, I try to let you know just how much I miss you, but I don't think I can put these kinds of emotions into words. You were only part of this family for a few short years, but, even though I know this sounds corny, I still believe you filled a void in my heart I didn't even know was there. No, really. Before I met you, I didn't have any close friends. Yes, I had classmates that I talked to and sometimes even visited after school, but that didn't come close to what we became. Our parents chose to open our home to you because we were a family that caught a lot of breaks in life. We had that cozy house perched right next to a beautiful forest, just waiting for young children to play in. My parents didn't expect to find their son, but they were very delightfully surprised. I never expected the child we took in would become my brother and closest friend, but I found that and so much more. What I'm saying is, thank you for being a part of my life, Ben. Your life was far too short, but I'm so, so glad I got to know you when I did.

With that said, I hope you understand what I am about to do.

I've been writing to you for a long time. Some of these letters have come farther between than others, but I've always kept writing. I wrote as a girl, a teenager, and now as an adult. I keep writing to you because you were the one I could always talk to. I was always comfortable around you. I could laugh, I could cry, I could tell you my closest secrets, and it wouldn't make a difference. That was a kind of friendship I had never felt before, and haven't felt since. When you passed away, I lost my other half. The person I could always rely on to be there, was gone. I think that's why I wrote to you but not Mom. I loved her, like any child would, but she wasn't _me._ You were my light, Ben, and when that light went out, I tried so hard to fend off the darkness. Dad helped a lot, but that didn't make you any less gone. These letters were my way of keeping you alive, pretending that you were still with me. And for a while, it made me happy.

But it doesn't seem to work anymore. Or maybe it never did, and I was just in denial. That sounds like a thing I would do. I always like to pretend to be stronger than I am, don't I?When I write to you, I always have these feelings of regret, because I know that your death was my fault, but I'll never know for sure where I went wrong. All the things I could have done differently to help you fly through my mind, and it just makes me feel worse and worse. It never gets easier. I love you, Ben. I love you so much, more than any words can describe. But I just can't keep doing this to myself. It isn't healthy. I'm sorry.

And now there's tears all over the paper. God, why does this have to be so hard? You've already been gone for years now, this should be easy. But I guess goodbyes were never meant to be easy, were they? And I suppose, in a way, I'm not really saying goodbye. I won't be writing to you anymore, but that won't mean that I'll forget about you. You will always be with me. Even if I won't be reminding you anymore, I'm sure you can remember until we finally meet again. Until then, see you later. Try your best to wait for me, okay? I know you have waiting, but I think I'll take my time.

Love always,

Serena

(P.S. Tell Mom that I love her and miss her too, okay?)~

X

The water was exceptionally shallow, to Ben's relief. Not that things like that mattered much anymore. If he wanted to go somewhere dry, he could just think it, and he would warp there automatically. It seemed that after his many encounters with the player, his power to manipulate the game – and other things as well – rose exponentially. Ben definitely enjoyed his new gift, and took advantage of it in any way he could. He supposed he should thank the player for unintentionally unleashing his true potential, but he knew he couldn't do that. He needed to stay in character, make sure the player feared him. If Ben made a wrong move, the game would end, and he would be trapped in the cartridge forever. Stuck in an empty world filled with nothing but his own despair.

...Ben shook his head, trying to lodge that thought out of his mind. He needed to stop thinking that. He wasn't bound by those rules anymore. Things had changed. And things would change even more, once the Old Man decided Ben was worthy of complete freedom.

Slowly, Ben moved his hands through the shallow water, feeling the clear liquid rush across his fingers. Even in the game, with its admittedly low poly graphics and simple textures, it somehow felt just like real water. Or at least, what he could remember real water feeling like. It had been a long time since he had last felt anything from the real world. He knew that now for certain.

"So, this is what you do in your off time, huh? Not exactly my first choice, but I'm not one to judge." Ben glared at the water he knelt next to, now noticing the reflection that appeared beside his own. He didn't look up from the water, but kept his gaze directed at the Old Man's rippling likeness. He stared for a long time, waiting for the man to make another move. But he just stood there, looming over him. It took Ben one, two, three scrutinous glances to confirm that he himself was also being watched through the reflection. He frowned to himself.

"What's the matter, kid? Didn't you have fun?" the Old Man asked innocently. Ben glared at the sewer water, observing the smug smile that rested on his face.

Ben resisted the urge to shout. "You knew, didn't you?" he growled silently. Although he was technically helping him, he felt no love towards his perchance saviour. When he peered into the water, he saw a man who was willing to torture innocent people in the name of his god. Which was nearly what happened, except he instead manipulated the desperate to do his dirty work for him. Ben knew that if he didn't need the Old Man, and if he didn't have mysterious powers that likely surpassed his own, he would gladly introduce him to a fate far worse than what poor Jadusable had met.

The Old Man, as expected, laughed. His laughter was so grating, Ben wished he could just flay his throat open and- No! He couldn't let himself have those thoughts again. He was a good person. He wouldn't hurt anyone he didn't need to. "You might want to clarify, kid. There's a lot of things I know, in general and about you. And as much as I like talking to you, I'm not going to stand around trying to figure out what you think I know," he chuckled softly. Ben gritted his teeth.

Instantaneously, Ben stood up on his feet and whipped around, now looking the man face to face, managing to startle him slightly as his eyes widened for a brief moment before returning to their neutral mischievous stare. "Don't play dumb, Old Man! You knew I could leave the cartridge, and you never told me." Ben stared into both his eyes, watching as his right eye remained dull and lifeless while the left studied Ben right back, playful yet calculating. He knew he shouldn't be behaving this way towards the Old Man, but he couldn't help it. After all the things he went through to meet his wishes. After every horrible thing he had to learn about himself in those few short days. After everything that had changed.

The first time he left was by far the worst, mainly because it was an experience completely foreign to him. Before that moment, he never truly realized just how in-tune he had become with technology, and could instantly sense when something was off. Perhaps it was from all the time spent within the game, or maybe it was just another one of the powers he picked up after drowning. Either way, it didn't take any time at all for Ben to realize that something was happening to the game – or rather, to him.

It happened only moments after his first 'session' with the player. The thrill of the hunt had quickly been subdued, and the ramifications of what he had done were just beginning to dawn on him. What he had done was not just a game to amuse him, but a twisted act of psychological torture. He'd toyed with the player's mind, tried his best to break him. And he enjoyed every single moment of it. He liked knowing that he had power over that one individual. That moment right before he left the cartridge was when he first began to realize just how much of a monster he truly was. Even days afterwards, Ben was nowhere near coming to terms with that fact, though he tried not to focus on it. For now.

It was then, with his hands covering his face as he tried and failed to suppress his sobs, when he felt it. The sensation that he, at the time, had never felt before, yet felt so oddly natural, like it was completely normal and undeniably right. It started out so simple, with a slight pulling sensation. Though he couldn't tell exactly where he was being pulled to, he recognized that it was not just the force of gravity, or even a magnetic pull. As strange as it was, it seemed like it was not his body being pulled, but something else. He suddenly became very dizzy, the buildings surrounding him becoming blurred and fragmented as they spun around him. Ben could remember the sudden feeling of dread he felt at that moment, fearing whatever was happening to him. Had that event happened years ago, Ben probably would have convinced himself he was finally ascending to a more desirable afterlife, but he now knew that such luck would never come to him. As he felt himself being transported away from that empty town, he closed his eyes tight, just hoping that wherever he was being taken was no worse than where he was.

Ben later learned that, had he kept his eyes open, he would have eventually witnessed a barrage of bright tinted lights streaking past him through a dark, empty void. The streaks of light were blindingly bright, and seemed to contain every perceivable colour known to man. The display reminded Ben of memories nearly forgotten, when he and Serena would purchase glow sticks in the summer and wait until nightfall to illuminate them. If he had only kept his eyes opened during that very first transportation, he likely would have been dazzled by the unexpected beauty.

But, unfortunately, his eyes had been locked shut during his first transportation, so he only witnessed the light show when he travelled back to the game. Luckily, he quickly figured out how to transport between the two places at will, just as easily as he can warp between areas of the game. When the pulling sensation finally slowed to a halt, he slowly opened his eyes, afraid of what he would discover. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the sudden change in surroundings, he could have sworn he heard a faint whirring noise, like some sort of bizarre fan. Ben could remember the sudden weight he felt as the realization of where he was finally hit him. His eyes widened in absolute shock as he gawked at the display of the computer monitor he now resided in.

"Hey, kid! Are you even listening?" the Old Man snapped Ben out of his reminiscent thoughts and back to the sewers leading to the Astral Observatory. "If you're going to ask a question, I'd hope that you'd at least pay attention to the answer." His face seemed to betray his words, however, as a smirk still lingered on his face.

Ben could feel his face heat up, feeling flustered. It was unlike him to space out like that when talking to people, but then again, eight years, four months, and ten days without any sort of human contact was enough to cripple anyone's social skills. He had counted the time.

Not waiting for Ben to respond, the Old Man rolled his good eye in annoyance. "Alright, I'll tell you again, but you'd better listen up this time. I really don't have the patience for this kind of stuff anymore." Still, he held onto his smile. If he was trying to act upset at all, he was doing a terrible job. "I _did _suspect you could leave the game, yes, but I didn't know for sure. If I knew this kind of stuff, I wouldn't have needed to test you in the first place, after all. But I thought, if you could, you wouldn't figure out how until way later. Seems you've got a knack for this sort of stuff, kid. A natural, I'd say. You sure you weren't some sort of serial killer in a past life?" Something in his voice almost sounded proud. Ben would have taken the compliment if it were about anything other than his ability to make others suffer.

"I wasn't that good..." Ben muttered stubbornly, turning his head to the stone ground. The Old Man laughed.

"Are you kidding? I never would have thought about doing half the stuff you did. Using that... what was it called again? That website you used to talk to your victim. That was genius. You can practically see the moment he realized just what you were. And to top it all off, it took you less than a week to get him to croak!" He cackled suddenly, obviously loving every moment of his reflecting.

Ben could feel his temper boiling once again. "Shut up! I- Wait... What do you mean, 'get him to croak'?" His anger was immediately replaced by a sensation of absolute dread. He didn't mean... no, no he didn't. There was no way he actually did that. It was just a game. A sick, twisted little game, but a game nonetheless. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't.

The Old Man raised a brow. "You know, for a kid so clever, you sure aren't good at picking up on things. Why do you think I waited until now to show up again?"

Ben couldn't look at the Old Man anymore, with his mischievous smile that spoke more than his words. He glanced back towards the shallow water. Staring back up at him was a child no older than twelve, his ocean blue eyes betraying him as they showed his true fear. Even after all that had changed, his reflection remained the same. "I-I don't know..." He didn't want to be seen this way in front of the Old Man. Ben was powerful. Ben struck fear onto those that wronged him. Ben was not a scared little boy, but his reflection did not lie.

The Old Man let out a soft chuckle. "Kid, you really need to stop with the act. You and I both know that you loved it. You loved having your revenge. After everything fate has put you through, isn't it just great to give a little bit back? Let others have a taste of what you had to go through? And I saw it, too. The moment I first met you, I knew it was what you wanted. That natural lust for chaos and destruction we all have but try to ignore." The boy in the reflection looked almost like he was about to cry. Everything the man said was true, whether he liked it or not. He was a monster. He enjoyed torturing the player. And now he was dead. Probably suicide, just like himself. And, as awful as it sounded, he loved it. He loved having such immense power over people. To bring them to such an intense amount of suffering that the only solution was to end their lives.

Ben didn't say anything. He just stared at his own reflection. That boy looked so afraid. But Ben wasn't a little boy anymore. The water was lying to him. That boy was a killer, and he was really just afraid of himself. Beside him, the Old Man's reflection wore an uncharacteristically grave expression.

"Kid, I'm usually not a very generous person. But I'll give you this. Back out now, and I won't make you hurt anyone ever again. You won't be able to go back to the real world, but you'll still have all the powers you've gained. I won't make you do this if you don't want to." The Old Man suddenly became very old. He looked the same and sounded the same, but something about those words sounded like they could only come from a person with years of experience.

For a moment, Ben considered the offer. Could he really keep existing within the confines of technology like this? Only days ago, he would have denied the very though, but now things had changed. He could now also enter computers, which offered many things that video games could never give. He could use the Internet to entertain him. He could watch movies, read books, and even contact other people. Other people, maybe even including Serena.

No, he couldn't do that. Not after all the time that had gone by. After a bit of searching in his spare time, he confirmed that his sister had survived and was now an adult. She would have moved on by now, if she didn't outright hate him for leaving her. She couldn't know about him. She had a chance to live a normal, happy life, and Ben wasn't about to ruin it.

But he could still entertain himself with computers, and whatever else he would be able to control as his powers grew. He could even communicate with other people. But how long would it be until that was no longer enough? It took no time at all for Majora's Mask to bore him, even when he started to find new ways he could manipulate it. And even if it took him years to grow bored of computers, those years would go by fast. It had already been over eight years since he entered the game. It may take even less time for other forms of technology to feel just as empty and godforsaken.

There was only one thing he could do. Only one thing he really, truly wanted. He wanted to live again. Or at least, come as close to living as possible. He had to become part of the real world again. Actually see humanity once again. The technology would only drive him mad. Working with the Old Man would be the only way he could have his desires, but it came with the highest price. If he wanted to live, he would need to recreate his game with Jadusable to many, many others. And although he wanted so, so badly to do just that, he knew he couldn't. As mad as he had become, he still had morals. He would do anything and everything in his power to prevent that darker side of him from coming out once again.

So nothing had changed. His original plan was the only plan he could live with. He would lie to the Old Man. Get him to grant him the ability to enter the living world. And then he would escape. Jump from electronic to electronic until he was completely untraceable. Or maybe he would be able to run by foot in the real world. Ben was in no way an athlete, but he could very easily be able to outrun the Old Man. It was dishonest, but it was the only choice he had.

"Well?" said the Old Man, "Have you made your decision?" At last, Ben looked away from the shallow waters they stood next to and once again looked the man in the eyes.

Ben nodded confidently. "Yes. I will help you. But only if you set me free."

The Old Man did not laugh. He did not smile. He instead frowned to himself, closing his eyes and bowing his head slightly in disappointment. "...If that is what you have chosen..." he said softly, his sudden sober demeanour catching Ben off guard.

Suddenly without warning, Ben felt the air rush out of him as he was abruptly slammed against the stone wall behind him. His very first instinct was to struggle, but he quickly found that he was unable to move his body as he was constrained by an unseen force. His muscles were exerted as he tried and failed to resist the magic, until the tension began to take its toll on his body. Being dead, he felt no pain under most circumstances, but the feeling was still incredibly discomforting and repugnant.

Still struggling to free himself, the Old Man hobbled over to him, eyes set in an icy glare. He quickly lifted an arm and slammed his hand onto Ben's neck, his bony fingers wrapping around tightly and digging into his skin. Ben immediately gasped for breath, only to find that his windpipe was being held firmly shut. Now unable to move, speak, or scream, all he could do was watch in wide-eyed terror as the Old Man began to speak.

"Do you really think I'm that stupid?" His words were laced with malice and vindictiveness. "You thought you could try and trick me, didn't you? Get me to give whatever you want and make a run for it. Well, I have news for you, kid. You're not the first to try and pull this trick on me. Everyone wants to get something while giving nothing in return. And you know what?" The Old Man leaned in close to Ben, now whispering harshly into his ear. "I'm _sick _of it. I can't stand a liar, kid. And you obviously are one."

The Old Man backed away from Ben slightly, while still holding on tightly to his throat. Ben tried to scream, but all that came out was a small, pathetic gurgle. "Now Ben, do you know what happens to liars?" The Old Man slowly lifted his other hand, which had started glowing white with powerful magic. A smile slowly started to spread across his wrinkled face. "They get lied right back to."

And then he reached into Ben's open eye socket, grabbing tightly onto the organ inside.

Ben instantly tried to scream in absolute pain and terror as he felt a barrage of pure magical energy spread from his right eye to the back of his head. For the first time in a long, long time, he felt pain. Pure, intense pain. The pulsating feeling that ricocheted from his eye to head and back again in an endless loop was utterly unbearable. He wanted so badly to scream, but all he could accomplish was a weak little croak. He wanted so badly to writhe, but he was being held firmly to the wall by that unseen force. The vision in his right eye had gone completely red, like when they were closed next to a bright light. Then, slowly, as if to savour the moment, the Old Man wiggled his fingers, letting them puncture his soft blue eye. A whole new kind of pain rocketed throughout the right side of his face as a thick liquid began to trickle down his cheek. Ben could taste the coppery blood as it ran into his opened mouth. And then, after what felt like an eternity, his right eye was yanked out of the socket, bringing bits of flesh along with it.

The torment did not end for Ben as the pain seemed to bloom across his face and down his neck, spreading throughout his entire body. He still tried his best to scream, but the Old Man still held onto his neck tightly as his other hand crushed the damaged eyeball in his fist, letting a new wave of juices run down his arm and mix with the blood that now covered them both. And then, the pulpy mass that was once his eye disintegrated, its ashes blowing away and disappearing in a nonexistent wind.

Then, without any hesitation, the Old Man grasped Ben's left eye, and repeated the process once again.

Ben's body lurched slightly as the pain started again on the opposite side of his face. He could hear the pure magical energy crackling inside his skull, sending jolts of pain across his entire body. At last Ben stopped trying to resist his fate and went limp, his muscles becoming too tired and the pain too strong. This was clearly more than a form of torture. The burning, pulsating feeling Ben felt inside his head felt completely unnatural and arcane. It was as if something other than the Old Man's gnarled fingers was moving inside him, wriggling through his skull and into his brain. As his left eye was torn away, the pain once again lingered on.

Ben didn't even bother trying to scream as the second eye crumbled to dust. The Old Man continued to grab onto his depraved throat, until he was absolutely certain that Ben had stopped struggling against his power. Finally, he released his grip and removed the invisible vise, letting Ben's spent body crumple to the ground like a battered rag doll.

Ben gasped heavily, welcoming the air that rushed into his empty lungs. His body twitched slightly against the strong force that was no longer present. He moved his trembling arms to his face, feeling the blood that painted it. As his hands moved, they came in contact with two distinct indents below his forehead. The inside was soft and fleshy, and very wet. He felt the area surrounding his sockets, the skin that was once his eyelids now a tattered mess.

"Sorry about that, kid. Nothing personal, mostly. I just had to make sure you wouldn't try to run away." Ben looked up at the Old Man to see that he was now wearing his devilish smirk once again. Though the malice in his voice was gone, Ben had a feeling he still wasn't very pleased.

Ben suddenly realized that he could still see. He tried narrowing his brows, but then a small wave of pain flooded his face, making him wince. He pushed his legs underneath him, trying to fight the pain and stand up again. His legs shook violently, and he tried leaning against the wall for support, but he wound up falling back to the ground.

Seeing that Ben would not be standing up anytime soon, the Old Man slowly eased his way into a crouching position, bringing himself closer to eye level with the broken boy. "That's to make sure I can always find you," he said, tapping the side of Ben's head with a bony finger. "Wherever you go, I'll be able to follow you. Now, I expect you to do what I say from now on. You can do whatever you want in your off time, but whenever I give you your next victim, you're going to kill them, no questions asked. Got it?"

Ben forced himself to look into the Old Man's eyes. "W-will I be able to go to the real world?" he asked desperately. The pain was beginning to die down, but his head was still throbbing.

The Old Man let out a dark, humourless chuckle. "Kid, that opportunity left you a long time ago. Really, I should be making sure you're trapped in the cartridge when I don't need you. But since I've grown fond of you, I'll let you do whatever you want in your spare time. You might hate me now, but sooner or later you'll learn to thank me."

And that was that. Ben would never enter the real world. He would never be alive again. He would never be able to see his family again, or at least what was left of it. All that time he took trying to break Jadusable was completely pointless. Now, he would instead be forced to torture complete strangers for who knows how long, something he promised himself he would never do again. How many people would he need to kill before he completely gave in to his darker side? Would he eventually turn into a killing machine, ending lives without remorse?

Slowly, Ben lifted himself with his arms into a sitting position. "What if I don't kill anyone? What's the worst you could do to me?" he challenged. It was most likely too late to appear brave, but he tried anyways. The Old Man could very easily hurt him, but if getting hurt meant saving multiple lives, he would at least volunteer himself for a little while. Until the pain was unbearable.

The Old Man put a hand to his chin in mock thought. "Well, I have noticed that you're pretty attached to your sister. I could probably think of a few things to do with her..."

Ben's heart stopped. "You wouldn't..." Ben couldn't believe it. Was he really suggesting that he would- No. That wouldn't happen. Nothing was going to hurt his sister, especially this creep. Ben did his best to glare at the Old Man, which hurt slightly less than before. The Old Man said nothing in return, but his devious smile told him that he meant every word and more.

"See you later, Ben," he said. And then he was gone.

Ben was alone.

He looked back into the shallow water, seeing his new reflection. He was now covered in blood, the sweater he had died in now stained an ugly shade of red. His face was a mess, too, with the deep red liquid still pouring from his sockets. Where his eyes rested only moments ago were now two dark, empty voids. But what Ben didn't expect to see were pupils. Not normal pupils, but two glowing red pinpricks lit from somewhere within his eye sockets. Ben once again reached into the sockets to find the source of the glowing, but only felt damp, squishy flesh.

Ben closely studied his new look. The blood flow seemed to be slowing down, yet it still streaked across his face. His clothes were now ruined, completely stained in the fluid. He would need to find a replacement. Blood had also gotten into his golden blonde hair, contaminating it with speckles of red. And his eyes. His curious, innocent blue eyes were gone, and were replaced by ones he would expect to find on a monster. Which wasn't too far from the truth.

He decided it was a good look for him.


	14. Epilogue

**A/N: IMPORTANT! I decided to post these last two chapters at the same time, so make sure you've also read the previous chapter before reading this one. Unless you _really _don't want to read that chapter. I suppose I can't tell you what to do. Either way, enjoy!**

Chapter 14: Epilogue

~Hey. I'm Senaria12, but you can all call me Serena.

A few days ago, I was cleaning out my dresser drawer, getting rid of old clothes I haven't worn since high school and stuff like that. But, as I was doing this, I discovered something I haven't looked at in years. I found my old letters that I had written to my brother from the age of 12 up until a couple years ago. You might think it's strange that I kept the letters _I _wrote, but it's not quite that simple. I never even mailed those letters in the first place.

You'll probably need some context to understand some of what I say, so I'll tell you the basics. When me and my brother, Ben, were 12, my mother and I got into a car accident. Mom sadly did not make it, and I was left in a coma. I was in that coma for a few months, and luckily I only suffered from a scar on my forehead that my bangs now cover up. When I woke up, I was devastated to find out that my mother was no longer with us, and also my brother was nowhere to be found.

It's important that I mention that Ben was not my biological brother. We were a foster family, and my parents took him in. Nevertheless, he was my brother, and he was gone. I was already devastated due to the passing of my mother, so I was quick to draw conclusions. I assumed Ben had left to live with another family once things started to become rough with ours. I decided to write an angry letter and mail it to him, basically telling him off. It wasn't until I asked my father to mail it to him when he told me the entire truth.

While I was in a coma, my brother had committed suicide.

The strange thing is, it took a long time for the implications of that to sink in. Years, probably. But at the time, all I thought was 'I acted like a jerk' and wrote another letter apologizing to him. That was how it started. I began writing to him regularly. I didn't write to him very much, but whenever something happened to me, I had a problem, or just wanted to catch up with him, I would write a letter. I did this until I was in college. Eventually, I figured that writing to him even after he was gone was just making it harder for me to let go. I wrote one final letter, letting him know that, even if I didn't write anymore, I still loved him.

And now I found the letters again. I read through each and every one, and I thought it was interesting to see these letters I wrote throughout my later childhood. I don't know if any of you will find it interesting, but I decided to post the letters online anyways. I hope someone out there finds this fascinating, too.

-Serena~

X

The rain hammered brutally against the old home, hysterically trying to find an opening to get inside. It had no luck, however, since despite being well lived in, the house was still very well cared for and would not be leaking any time soon. What did manage to enter, however, were the flashing lights that fell from the sky and the earth-rattling roars that accompanied them. It was a night designed specifically for people to stay indoors and wait for the storm to end. Unfortunately, such luxuries were not available to everyone.

A young woman stood silently by the window of the home, watching as the trees in the surrounding woods shuddered against the brutal wind and pounding rain. The tall trees seemed to be in an endless brawl, constantly bashing into one another with the wind's strong encouragement. It had been a long time since she was last afraid of something as mundane as a thunderstorm, but she could not say the same for her father.

"Are you sure you didn't use this address by mistake?" asked her father, who approached from behind her with two small packages in his hands. Flecks of silver were beginning to form in his hair with age and new distinct lines were forming on his face. Still, he made himself look professional and knowledgeable with neat clothes and a disciplined mindset, like any respectable businessman would. If he truly was ageing, then he was ageing well.

Lightning struck, working its way through the thick rain to inside the home. The young woman frowned at the small boxes in her father's careful hands. "Pretty sure, Dad. I don't even remember_ ordering_ anything, let alone sending it here." She found the entire situation to be rather strange. She rarely ever purchased anything online, and when she did, she always sent it to her small apartment in the city. It had been years since she last used the address of her old home for anything.

"Well, they say they're for you," he reminded her, gesturing to the eBay shipping labels on the sides of the boxes. Clearly printed were the words 'Serena Mori' directly above the mailing address. Oddly enough, the two packages had different return addresses, meaning that two different people made the same mistake around the same time. And though she didn't dare admit it to the older man, neither address looked remotely familiar to her.

Serena looked away from the packages and back up to her father. "Yeah, I know. They're probably some late birthday presents or something from some high school friends. Nothing to be concerned about," she assured the older man, whose face clearly displayed his unease. It was not unlike him to worry about small things like this. He'd been like this ever since the accident, always fretting over problems that aren't really problems at all. Serena wished there was a way she could quell his fears, but it seemed that there was always a new thing for him to nitpick on whenever the last one disappeared. As much as she loved her father, she was glad she was now living on her own. Visits like these were welcomed, but any more would likely drive her mad.

Her father frowned deeply. "If you say so..." he sighed, clearly unconvinced. She didn't want to know what he thought the packages might be. Explosives, perhaps? No, that was wildly outlandish, even for a racing and active mind. Maybe he could tell that the return addresses were unfamiliar, and thought his only daughter had acquired a perverse stalker. That seemed a bit more likely, but Serena still doubted that was true. If somebody was watching her, they would know where she lived. Her suggestion of gifts from old friends seemed the most likely, and also the most harmless. But just to make sure, she planned on waiting until she was alone to open them, on the off chance that there truly was something disturbing within that she wouldn't want her Dad to see.

Serena cleared her throat, disrupting the awkward silence. "Well," she began, trying to change the subject, "thanks for giving them to me. And thanks for giving them to me in person instead of just mailing them to me. I was looking for an excuse to visit you, anyways." She granted her father her warmest, most sincere smile. He smiled back at her, fear slowly disappearing from his face. Classic redirection. Worked every time, or at least in most situations. Nothing seems to distract people more than flattering them. It was a trick her brother had taught her, and still held true after many years.

"Thank you, sweetie. I'm so glad you took the time to visit me," he said, just as thunder rattled the house once again. The storm did not want the two to ignore the war outside. But they did, or at least tried to. Family came first, even before nature.

"I know," the young woman said, her voice soft compared to the bellowing winds outside. She made a quick glance through the rain-covered window. The sky was spotted with patched of blacks and greys, with the occasional burst of light revealing the bulbous shapes of thick clouds. It seemed darker than she remembered. Louder, too. She made another quick glance to the grandfather clock that rested beside her. Somehow, it had become midnight during her visit with her father.

"Oh, wow," she said, eyes widening in surprise. "I'd better get going. I have work in the morning, and my boss will murder me if I come in half asleep," she started towards the front door, grabbing her thick coat from where she had tossed it.

Her father nodded. "I'll drive you," he informed her.

Serena stopped what she was doing and raised a thin brow at the older man. "No you're not. If you drive, then I won't have my car in the morning. And I'm sure not walking to work, especially if it's still raining." Her tone was kind, but still absolute, as if what she said was final.

Her father sighed heavily. "If you insist..." he muttered. Years ago, he would have protested, but it seemed now he was beginning to learn to give up. As sad as it made Serena to see her father like this, she was more than grateful to be given a longer leash. In any other circumstance, she possibly would have tried to comfort him and remind him of how responsible she had become, but she really just wanted to go home. It may have been selfish, but she didn't want to wait for the storm to get even worse. She zipped up her coat and grabbed the two small packages from her father's hands.

"See you later, Dad," she said, unlocking the front door. Her father gave a small polite nod. Thunder struck, but neither of them seemed to notice or care.

Then Serena's father looked into her eyes for a bit longer, before suddenly wrapping her into a big, tender hug. Serena hugged him back tightly, knowing how scared he must be even after all these years. "I love you," he said softly into her ear.

"I love you too, Dad."

When their embrace was broken, Serena gifted him one last warm smile before opening the door and closing it behind her. In an instant, she was removed from the compassionate scene and thrust into the chaos outdoors. The wind immediately began whipping around her, sending her long dark hair flying about. Not wasting any time, she bolted towards the beat up old car parked in the driveway. After one, two, three different attempts at trying to fit her car keys into the door lock while in the dark of night, she finally opened it and clambered inside, thankful that the old car was yet to acquire any leaks. Then, after trying briefly to fix her hair and quickly admitting defeat, she started up her car and drove away.

The drive back to her apartment in the city was thankfully uneventful. No collisions with other cars. No animals darting in the middle of the road. The nefarious rain did succeed in obstructing her view slightly, but thankfully that did not lead to anything unfortunate. The young woman started to grow tired, but was constantly jarred to wakefulness by the thunder every time she began to tune out her surroundings. She supposed, in a way, the storm was helping her stay safe, in its own deranged way.

Once she finally reached her destination, she once again was forced to make a mad dash towards the nearest dry area; in this instance, her apartment building. Despite her best efforts to stay moderately dry and well-kept, she wound up dripping with rainwater that trailed behind her as she made her way to the second floor. Luckily, she had managed to keep her mysterious packages dryer than herself, tucking them safely into the deep pockets of her coat.

Once inside her tiny apartment, she immediately slumped off her coat, tossing it to the floor. She once again tried to tidy up her windswept and drenched hair, and once again gave up, resolving to run a comb through it when she was finished with her more pressing task.

Lazily, Serena tossed herself onto the worn sofa in her living room slash dining room, placing the two boxes atop the table in front of her. She didn't bother turning on a light, relying solely on the flashing strikes of lightning that entered through the window and the ambiance of the city. For a while, she stared down the packages, trying to figure out the mystery surrounding them. She couldn't figure out who would send her these packages, or why they weren't addressed to her apartment. If this mystery person – or people – were not acquainted with her well enough to know her residence, then why would they send gifts? Unless it wasn't a gift, but something important. The shipping labels both had eBay logos in the corners, so perhaps somebody purchased items online and sent them directly to her. But why cut out the middle man? Was the person who bought them _trying _to hide their identity?

Her curiosity amplifying rapidly, the young woman finally stopped her ruminating and took action. Without hesitation, she ripped open both packages and pulled out the contents inside.

What she found only confused her more.

Inside the larger of the two packages was another seemingly unopened box, this one displaying an image of a Game Boy Color. Confused, she opened the second box. Inside that was the same atomic purple device shown on the box. She slipped it out of its packaging, inspecting it carefully. It seemed to be in mint condition, and even came along with its charger. As odd as it seemed, the device seemed brand new, or at least unopened. But who would go out of their way to buy a new Game Boy Color? Curious about owning one, she had in the past researched the prices of the system. She knew that getting an unused version of the device could be somewhat costly. It was much more reasonable to purchase a hand-me-down from a garage sale.

The smaller box also contained an item that appeared brand new, despite its age. It was a small blue case, with a boy in a green tunic on the cover. She didn't even need to read the title to know that it was Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages. Like any good Zelda fan, she knew about all the official games and played all the ones she could. But unfortunately, she had never owned a Game Boy Color, meaning that unless she wanted to use an emulator, the Oracle series was off limits. But now it seemed she could finally try out the games.

Neither box had any sort of letter inside, like she was hoping. The identity of the sender was still a mystery. Since it wasn't a secret to anyone that she was a Zelda fan, the gifts could have come from anyone she knew, or even people she didn't know.

A feeling of uneasiness washed over Serena. The whole situation reminded her somewhat of those stories she'd read on the internet. The ones where people buy games with torn off labels from shady looking people, and then the game turns out to be hacked to have macabre imagery or is haunted by a disturbed spirit. This situation didn't fit the exact description of those stories, but the fact that she had no real idea of where the gifts came from was beginning to put her on edge.

Serena shook her head. No, there was no way something like that was happening to her. Those were just stories, many of which weren't actually that scary. The darkness and stormy atmosphere must have been getting to her. It was probably just from a generous friend or family member that forgot to include a card or letter. Nothing to be concerned about.

Out of curiosity, Serena put the small cartridge inside the Game Boy Color. Aside from the strange nature of the presents, they seemed almost too good to be true. After all, she'd wanted to play one of the Oracle games ever since they first came out. With her luck, either the handheld or the cartridge was broken. But as the game came to life, she saw that it was working perfectly fine. As that opening theme began to play, she was immediately hit by a wave of nostalgia. For a moment, she was brought back to when she was little, playing Ocarina of Time with Ben.

Hitting start, she was brought to the file select screen. To her surprise, two of the three files had already been created, providing her with a short yet direct message:

_TO_

_ SERENA_

The young woman nodded silently to herself, now knowing for sure that the game was specifically sent for her. She ignored the other files and created a third one named 'Serena', this one using lower case lettering. She decided she would delete the other files later, once she was certain that the game was in working condition. She would play for five, maybe ten minutes, just to make sure the game wasn't broken or haunted. Then she would go to bed. The next day, she would start asking her friends which one of them sent the game to her.

She ended up playing for hours that night.

And in her tired state, not once did she realize the truth that was hiding within those save files. She had already determined that the game had never been played, or even opened. There was no way anyone would have been able to create those save files without ever turning the game on. That was impossible.

But it wasn't impossible for Ben.

The drowned boy smiled to himself, watching his sister play the game. It wasn't a malicious smile this time, like the one he had grown accustomed to, but an actual, genuine smile. He followed her little sprite around, taking great care to stay invisible as she progressed. He didn't think he'd ever been so happy before as little red tears begin to well up in his eye sockets. This was the closest he had ever been to spending time with his sister ever since the accident. And now, after all those years, and everything he had gone through, he could finally give her the game.

He finally made her happy.

As minutes turned into hours, however, Ben knew he couldn't stay. On the other side of the country, there was a person that needed to be killed. Ben couldn't stay away from his work for too long. He always needed to be ready for the player to turn the game on again. If he ever failed, then he didn't even want to imagine what would be done to Serena. He hated his job, but it was definitely worth the work.

Meanwhile, Serena continued to play the game, unaware of the soul that exited from it. Unaware of all that he did for her, and all he continued do. Unaware of all the people that were being murdered, and that she was just one slip up by Ben away from being murdered herself. She didn't need to know about all that. She didn't need to worry. All she needed to know was that she was granted a gift from some anonymous person. That was all Ben would ever let her know.

The storm continued on.


	15. SPECIAL UPDATE!

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm sorry I teased you with the hope of another chapter. That's not quite what's here.**

**But there is a sequel.**

**As of today (July 1st) this story's sequel/sister story, Eidolon's Keeper, is officially up! Keep in mind though that since it _is_ also a sister story, it will have elements different than this one. It's still me writing it, though, so hopefully if you enjoyed Screaming Underwater you'll like Eidolon's Keeper as well.**

**I'd also like to say that for long-time followers who haven't read this story in a while, rereading it will not be necessary. Again, since it is also a sister story, anyone can jump into it without any context. And for people who just finished reading it, or if you can just easily remember plots for Creepypasta fanfiction, you can go to the sequel. Or not. Your choice.**

**I still feel bad for teasing you, though. Bet you were excited for another long-awaited fix of Creepypasta goodness, just to find out that you'll need to go to my profile and click on a whole different story. I wish I could make it up to you.**

**But now that I think about it, maybe there is something...**

X

Chapter 1: The Keeper's Awakening (TEASER)

The sky was marked only by the waxing moon on the night he was first found. Not even shimmering stars dared to obstruct the black, empty void that was midnight's heavens. The light of the great moon shone down onto him more than ever before, painting his already pale skin in its ghostly silver glow. There was no wind that night, not even the gentlest of breezes. It was as if time himself had been frozen in that exact moment, giving the world a chance to simply calm down and collect itself for what felt like it's very first time.

But even then, the storm continued on.

The boy hugged his toy tightly, its velvety beige and fallow fur soaking in his hot tears as he buried his face deeply into it. He nearly smelled its faint flowery scent, but it was too far gone. In fact, even the strongest of scents would not have been enough. For as he clenched his teary eyes shut, the smell of his vicinity burned in his nostrils; it was of overturned soil and raw iron, though he knew well enough that it was something else entirely. And just like the smell, the image he had seen moments ago, back when his eyes could still be pried open, lingered like an unwanted guest in his mind.

He had seen his bedroom, the one he had always lived in, and the same objects that had always been inside of it. But nothing was in its place. His belongings, small and large, had been hurled about, fractured and collapsed next to whatever they had been bashed against. Planks of wood from the walls and ceiling had broken through the drywall and onto the floor, burying any surviving possessions in heaps of rubble. One of the walls, the only one with a window - although it was always unevenly boarded up - had been completely demolished. Now, instead of the small cracks of the window, he was given a gaping hole with which to appreciate the forest and the sky and whatever existed beyond them both.

And there was the man, just barely poking out of the debris. His sickly coloured skin had been streaked by rivers of deep dark red that pooled below him, soaking into the softly tufted carpet. That was the smell that remained drifting. The smell that memories of honey and lilac perfume could not erase.

This was the smell of his father's blood.

No, he would not open his eyes. Not again.

"I'm so sorry," he muttered between sobs, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." he choked, and then burst into a stronger fit of tears. He did not need to glance twice to know that his father was dead. If he had not woken up by that time, there was no hope at all for him. The boy would simply have to hope that he did not feel a pain too great. Though really he had no idea.

Because despite all the chaos and destruction throughout the secluded little cabin, the boy and the bed he sat upon remained completely unscathed. He wasn't the one that was hurt. He wasn't meant to be hurt. The blast was formed in an act of defence, and it did exactly that. Now he was safe from harm, whether or not he truly wished it.

The boy and his father never had the best relationship. In fact, things had gone from bad to worse since his mother left all those years ago. What replaced her was a healthy amount of betrayal for the woman how abandoned him and loathing for the man who raised him. But this was never what he wanted. All truly wished for was his freedom to go outside, to play, to make friends, and grow up into a man better than the child he was now.

Yes, that life would have been perfect. This was far, far from it.

He could no longer tell if his tremors was due to his shaking sobs or the cold April night air. Though no wind blew, the air stung slightly against his bare skin, making him hug his toy tighter and tighter. He could have gone under the warm blankets of the bed he perched upon, for sure, but that would require him to move, and that was a step he was not ready to make yet. That alone was too close to reality.

He stroked the soft fur of his toy, feeling its sleek, if slightly worn, material. He refused to hide his need for that stuffed animal at that moment, clinging to all the more joyous emotions it brought to him once before.

After all, what boy wouldn't need comfort, knowing that he was a murderer?


End file.
